Karen shines at TamFest
All fright at Ayr’s Day of the Dead parade
Karen Dunbar was the star attraction when she took to the stage in Ayr on Sunday afternoon.
The former Ayr Academy pupil was the headline performer at this year’s TamFest as she performed Tam o’Shanter to an enraptured audience.
Thousands of visitors came to the town centre for the three- day Halloween celebration.
The streets of Ayr were awash with skeletons, demons, witches, wizards, warlocks and zombies at the weekend.
The second TamFest took place from Friday to Sunday, with a host of scares descending on the town centre for the unique three- day celebration of Hallowe’en and Robert Burns.
Last year was the inaugural TamFest, and proved to be such a hit with the Ayrshire public that it was extended to three days.
This year, Chewin’ The Fat star Karen Dunbar was the headline performer, with a stunning rendition of Tam o’Shanter at the former Clydesdale Bank Building on High Street.
There were also markets, live entertainment, a Haunted House and history tours, workshops and celebrations, with a Day of the Deadstyle grand finale, ensuring there was fun - and scares - for all the family.
TamFest’s lead producer Meredith McCrindle was delighted with the way this year’s event, with numberous pubs and other restaurants in Ayr reporting a significant rise in trade.
She said: “What was really noticable this year was the increased footfall in the town.
“That’s what we always wanted TamFest to be about - getting more people into Ayr.
“We were really pleased with how it went, especially Karen Dunbar. We held an event for the sponsors and Karen spoke passionately about how much she loves and cares about Ayr, and how much she wants to see the regeneration of the High Street.
“It’s really important to her that people are coming back to Ayr and celebrating the town, which makes it really special.
“When she was performing Tam o’Shanter, there was a row of children in front of her, and in the poem, it says, ‘ a child might understand’. At that point she focused on them, and there was a little girl, with a painted face, who looked terrified! It was really powerful.”
There was something for everyone over the weekend, starting with a zombie biker ride down High Street, while other events included art on display, family fun zones, a haunted house, a child’s version of Tam o’Shanter. street buskers, market stalls, and plenty of fun at the Gaiety Theatre.
TamFest came to a spectacular close as a Day of the Dead parade, based on the famous Mexican parade seen at the start of the James Bond film SPECTRE, marched down High Street.
Meredith added: “Ayr artist Leona Stewart put in so much work into getting everything prepared and created for it over the summer months. She, her helpers, the artists and the community worked so hard to make it happen.
“It just looked amazing, and it was great to be able to integrate something like that into our festival.”
Meredith confirmed that TamFest 3 will definitely be taking place in October 2017.
She added: “I think next year, we’re going to be even bigger and better, as we want to improve our interaction with the public.
“There were things I think we could do better, but really, it’s been really popular. I’ve had so much positive feedback.
“I spoke with one woman on Sunday, who wanted to know where she could send feedback. I told her she could email it to me, but she was so enthusiastic about it all, and said she and her family had been to every event over the weekend. I’ve since had a nice, long email from her, which was really good - we put in a lot of hard work, and it’s really rewarding when you hear positive comments like that.
“I’m still buzzing, and just can’t wait for next year’s TamFest so we can make it even better.”
Turn to page 46 for more pictures from The Day of the Dead.