Moonraking 25
40th Anniversary Events
A huge THANKYOU to everyone who took part!
On Saturday 22nd February 2025, Slaithwaite turned out in style, great numbers and in perfect weather to celebrate Moonraking’s 40th Birthday.
Over 2000 people joined in with the parade, and 242 lanterns were counted on the night.
Check out the photos! Scroll along to see them all!
Thankyou to Point of View Photography, Leimonmade Photography, Neil Terry Photography and Sarah Collins Photography plus Moonraking committee and bands for their images here. Congratulations to all of the lantern makers, helpers and performers.
Families made stunning lanterns over a week of workshops in The Watershed, on the theme of SHOP! Local schools decorated illuminated barrels for the event. Local scouts also made lanterns for the event. Refugee charity 6 Million Plus created a moon lantern which was floated on the canal in the lead up to events and part of the parade.
"A Slawit Riddle" Impossible Arts
The event opened with “A Slawit Riddle” on Codex – a giant picture book celebrating 40 years of Moonraking. This featured poems and archive images from Impossible Arts. Thanks to Chris Squire and Andy Wickes for creating this and to Kim and Adam Strickson for curating the images from the festival archive.
The picture book also featured poetry from Adam Strickson, who also opened the event with live performance poetry.
Sometimes snow and ice, more often rain
Sometimes breeze, sometimes a biting wind
It begins in darkness, it begins in the sky
It begins in water – in a reflection, in a story
It begins in a gritstone village, forty long years ago
It begins with withy sticks soaked in a tin bath
It begins with joints of twisted masking tape
It begins with tissue paper, paste and sponge
It begins with a candle and a ‘door’
It begins with a wire loop and a stick with a hook
It begins on a cold February evening
It begins… with lighting up three hundred lanterns
It comes alive with the heartbeat sound of samba
It comes alive with loud shouts under arches
It comes alive with shapes swaying in the wind
It comes alive with children’s excited voices
It comes alive with the wide smiles of all generations
It takes over the streets
It sings the streets
It drums the streets
It clatters the streets
It is a feast of hope
A dream of light
A night of joy
It travels to the canal
It is a singing and a raking
It is a crane and a crowd
It is a rescue and a future
It is legend
It ends in water – in a reflection, in a story
It ends with light back in the sky
And light still on earth
It ends in the whoop of a whole village – NOW!
The event was produced by Kath Shackleton, and mc-ed and co-ordinated by Festival Chair Susanna Meese Simpson. Sky Burton Smith led on all the lanterns and co-ordinating the Watershed as a Festival base.
The event also launched the Slawit SHOP! project celebrating 100 years of shops and shopping in Slaithwaite also supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. More information here.
Performances of the Moonraking Legend
Electronic dance music from Noah Burton and Nadia Amini
Dancers
A troupe of illuminated dancers interpreted “Rake Out the Moon”, an archive track from by festival founder Andy Burton. This was reimagined from a traditional folk style into electronic dance music by Noah Burton (Andy’s son) with vocals by Nadia Amini. Volunteer dancers performed in illuminated crinolines which lit up the parade, The dance was choreographed by Keisha Hamilton and led by Natalia Mirkun. Huge thanks to our volunteer dancers Sal Kerry, Irya Tyuska, Caroline Brammah, Ela Hollies, Olivia Hyde, Ivor Foster, Helen Woolford, Lindsay Adamson, Irena Loshak, Oleksandr Komliev and Viacheslav Khonin. Thanks also to Colleen Whyatt who designed the facepainting Moonraking motifs for the performers’ cheeks.
2025's Slawit "Gnomes"
Traditional Slawit “Gnomes” carried the moon aloft around the village and back into the sky at the end of the event.
They also welcomed a select group of lantern makers at the Fire Station who were recognised for their excellence in lantern design.
This year the wonderful @NinetteKnits designed and knitted comedy beards with fairy lights to add to the fun!
Thanks to this year’s “gnomes” Jenny Goodman, Kevin Sill, David Brammah, Zane Whittingham, Jonah Simpson, Dave Young and Evan Hughes.
Street Bands
Banda Na Rua provided a 40 strong percussion troupe of lively latin rhythms for the parade.
And the 40th parade was animated by the global street sounds, colourful costumes and infectious humour of popular street band The Peace Artistes.
Artist Frances Noon created a giant shopping trolley lantern for the parade. Rachel Ellis refurbished floating lanterns from previous festivals to float on the canal.
Brian Acton, provided cleverly designed, 3D printed and programmed wearable speakers, which took the sound with the performers around the parade.
Thanks to Maddie, Frankie, Holly and Amy who helped to carry these on the parade.
Sound artist Eddie Dobson (Fineline Audio) also created a fabulous soundscape for the event.
Morris Dancing, Shadow Puppets and Pedal Powered Pop Up Poetry!
The Watershed Youth Theatre made a series of Shadow puppet plays which were performed in the windows of local shop Acorn and Pip.
Mixed side morris troupe The Slubbing Billy’s opened events with a rousing dance and joined in with the parade.
Write Out Loud, provided Pedal Powered Pop Up Poetry and the energetic peformance poet Louise Fazakerly, who also worked in local schools and the library to create moon themed poems with local children and young people
The Finale
After a lively procession around the village enjoying spectacular views down the hill, audiences saw laser projections from Impossible Arts, by Chris Squire and Nick Sparks.
Events culminated in a finale with a reprise of the Rake Out the Moon Dance featuring live vocals by Olivia Hyde and a call and reponse chant led by actors Rebecca Winwood and Robin Simpson and 40 strong samba group Banda Na Rua.
The moon was placed on a crane and raised into the sky as the crowd chanted and fireworks went off! Thankyou to Optimum Fireworks for their display.
Events around the village
Thankyou to Slaithwaite Civic for throwing open it’s doors throughout the day, and all of their tireless volunteers including Rachel, Lesley and Andy who made this happen. Thanks to Slaithwaite WI for serving pie and peas and cake throughout the day, to Zapato Brewery for their support and bands The Happy Fish and Fishing 4 Complements and to Craft Tinker for holding a stall at the event.
Thankyou to David Brook who set up a viewing area by the old Swan Inn for people who weren’t able to walk around the parade route and to Spud Nick who provided tasty tea and hot potatoes! Globe Arts also opened up some of their spaces for use during the event.
Huge thanks to all of the village purveyors of food and drink who worked so hard to keep Moonrakers welcomed, fed and watered!
Moonraking in the news!
Thanks to Huddersfield Hub, Kirklees Local TV, BBC News and Yorkshire Post for their support of the festival. Thanks to Diversity PR for their work in getting us this coverage.
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Videos
Kirklees Local TV made this film about the 40 Years of Moonraking discussion event and interspertsed with footage from this year’s event and footage from across the years.
Big thanks to You Tube vlogger @Trevors-world who skilfully captured the event in 4K video with drone footage.
Tim Szoradi from The Waterside Barbers captured and edited the event beautifully on video. Thankyou Tim!
The 4th Huddersfield Golcar Cubs and Scouts made us a birthday cake lantern and were so proud of it, they made a video!
Irena, recently arrived from Ukraine, joined the crinoline dance troupe and so enjoyed it, she made a video too!
Another video from @chazersAdventures Thankyou so much!
Sponsored by:
Thanks to University of Manchester, Kirklees Third Sector Leaders, Arts Council Digital Culture Network, TG Events, Daisy Lee, Dave Young, A New Leaf Bookshop, Making Waves, Globe Arts, Anello Pizza, Ruddi’s Cafe, Arty Explorers, Acorn & Pip, Green Valley Grocers, The Civic Slaithwaite, The Clay Mill, Otso, Slubbing Billy’s, Far Cry Acapella, George Shaw and Sons, Kirklees Local TV, Fishing 4 Compliments, The Happy Fish, We Are Stems, Fineline Audio, Nadia Amini, Olivia Hyde Music, Canal and River Trust, Otso, Impossible Arts, Green Valley Grocers, Annie Dearman, Slaithwaite Scouts, Slaithwaite Fire Station, Resource Print Solutions, Globe Mill, YES Education, Experience Community, Slaithwaite Library, Kerfuffle Theatre, Keisha Hamilton, Lee Corner, 6 Million +, Jonah Simpson, Adam and Kim Strickson and all of our volunteers for their support in kind. Thanks to Artwood Interiors and to Frances Cole for their donations and to all who have given to The Lunar Levy to bring back the festival this year!
Brochure illustrations by Jane Horton @artyjaneh