Prescot Town Centre is set – once again – to be transformed into a chaotic festival of fun as the Serious Nonsense Festival returns on 11, 12 and 13 August 2023.
The festival, which attracted more than 15,000 people in its first year in 2022, celebrates Knowsley’s fascinating connections to Edward Lear, who lived at Knowsley Hall for many years and was best-known for his literary nonsense.
This year’s three-day festival is set to be even bigger and better than ever before thanks to funding from Knowsley Council, Arts Council England, Prescot High Street Heritage Action Zone and UKSPF. The event will be supported by the Prescot Cultural Consortium, Shakespeare North Playhouse, Imaginarium Theatre and Milap. This year’s event will be programmed and produced by Walk the Plank – one of the UK’s leading outdoor arts specialists.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, there will be something for the whole family to enjoy – everything from a T-Rex Dinosaur show to an evening celebrating LGBTQ literature, musical performances from Chic Le Freak to a couple of bouncing kangaroos!
And back by popular demand, children will once again have the opportunity to venture inside the belly of a huge inflatable sperm whale.
There will be special appearances across the weekend from well-renowned poets and performers with headline attractions soon to be announced. The vast majority of the performances across the weekend are FREE of charge.
The Serious Nonsense Festival started in 2022 as part of Knowsley’s celebrations as the Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture. Given the popularity of the festival in its first year, and Knowsley’s ongoing commitment to providing high quality cultural events, it will return for 2023 and is not to be missed.
Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley Council Cabinet Member for Communities & Neighbourhoods commented:
“I am absolutely delighted that the Serious Nonsense Festival is coming back to Prescot. It was undoubtedly one of my personal highlights from last year – which is high praise indeed considering how many wonderful events we hosted in our Borough of Culture year. The weekend is set to be a fantastic spectacle and so much fun for residents of all ages. Make sure you pop along to experience it for yourself – get the dates in your diary now.”
Find out more about Edward Lear and his time in Knowsley.
Here’s a reminder of last year’s nonsense!
