What's on in the area

Midsummer Watch Parade

Jun 2009 (annual)

Cost: Free

Hours: 2pm-3.30pm

Chester's spectacular Midsummer Watch Parade, with its giants, beasts, animated tableaux and costumed characters, is one of the oldest and most colourful in the country. Dating from 1498, it features the unique Chester family of giants.

In Medieval and Tudor times, Chester's parade was renowned throughout the country. First held during the mayoralty of Richard Goodman in 1498, it was organised by the City Guilds. The outstanding features of the show were the giants - enormous structures made of buckram and pasteboard and carried by two or more men. Giants were a common feature of Tudor pageantry in England and Europe, but Chester was unique in that the city paraded a whole family - the father, the mother and two daughters. There were also (and still are) fantastic giant beasts including a unicorn, an elephant, a camel and a dragon.

Today the parade is created with help from the local community, volunteers and schoolchildren. If you're in Chester at this time, you can't miss it.

Chester