Festival ends in style
Rain doesn’t stop the fun at Baldrick’s Big Day Out
“We had the plague and pestilence and this is clearly the flood.” Stratford Shakespeare Trust’s Suzanne Blackwell said although the weekend’s torrential rain certainly made itself known at Stratford’s Te Kapua Racecourse during Baldrick’s Big Day Out on Saturday, it didn’t deter crowds from coming to attend the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s grand finale event.
“The weather was clearly against us. However, Shakespeare himself would have lived through some terrible weather so we just carried on with it and still had a marvellous day.”
She said there was plenty of entertainment.
“We had the horses and knights from all over the country running impressive demonstrations.”
Rather than fighting on large open fields, knights from Wellington, Tauranga and Taranaki entertained crowds with an all-out battle in a more sheltered space on the day.
Wellington Falcons Bria Sturgess, Alex Hale, Fraser Rivers and Tara Mcintyre were four of the many knights who were there, fighting for honour and boasting rights in an unruly battle. Hale said he attended Baldrick’s last year.
“I had so much fun then. It’s a bit disappointing about the rain but we managed to get some fighting in and that’s the main thing.”
For Tara and Bria, it was their first time attending Baldrick’s Big Day Out. Mcintyre said she was excited to be in Stratford for the event.
“It’s pretty awesome to be in a new place fighting.”
The knights had plenty of fans, with Taranaki Medieval Society member Kylie Fletcher inviting her brother Simon Fletcher and his partner Robyn Raynel to the event.
Simon said he and Raynel regularly travel to different medieval events, with this being their first time at Baldrick’s. “We love the medieval events and hearing the clash of metal as knights fight.”
Stratford Shakespeare Trust chairman Dixon Lobb said Baldrick’s was a great way to wrap up a successful two-week festival.
“Attendance numbers were up with the highlight being The Pop Up Globe’s performances of Twelfth Night. On the first night the theatre was almost at capacity and on the second night it was a full house.”
He said it was great to see people come out and attend Baldrick’s despite the weather. “We’re super happy and thankful for all the support from Stratford and our various funders that have made this festival possible.”
Lobb said the team is now preparing for Stratford-upon-Pa¯tea to host Stratfords of the World in January 2025. “It’s going to be a very exciting time and we can’t wait.”