Hundreds turn out for '˜the only beer cart festival in the world'

Crowds gathered in Ossett over the weekend to see Wakefield Morris Dancers heave a cart laden with heavy barrels of beer around the town.
ossett beer cart parade on cartossett beer cart parade on cart
ossett beer cart parade on cart

More than 100 dancers from around the country took part in the third annual Ossett Beer Cart festival.

They paraded from the cricket and athletics club to the town centre, before carrying the first barrel into the town hall.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Beer Cart event, which ran from Friday until Sunday, also included a beer festival on Friday and Saturday, an open air market throughout the weekend and morris dance performances on both Saturday and Sunday.

ossett beer cartossett beer cart
ossett beer cart

John Earnshaw, chair of the Beer Cart organising committee: “This is something unique, the only beer cart festival in the world.”

“It went really well and the weather was on our side.

“Ossett was just buzzing on Saturday .

“A couple of thousand people turned out to watch. It was a wonderful atmosphere.

ossett beer cart boggartrs breakfast  border morris dancersossett beer cart boggartrs breakfast  border morris dancers
ossett beer cart boggartrs breakfast border morris dancers

“All the morris dancers and musicians took part in the procession, some pulling the cart, some walking behind.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We want this to continue as an annual event. Traditions have to start somewhere.

“And we would like to say thank you to all the people and organisations who have helped us out.”

The festival was held for the first time in 2014.

ossett beer cart the barrell is taken in to open the beer festivalossett beer cart the barrell is taken in to open the beer festival
ossett beer cart the barrell is taken in to open the beer festival

Inspiration for the event was taken from the Lancashire rushcart tradition which involves villagers carrying rushes on a cart to their local church.

The Beer Cart festival is designed to encourage more people to take up morris dancing whilst also raising funds for Wakefield Hospice.

Wakefield Morris will host two taster dance sessions on September 12 and November 7. To find out more, visit the Wakefield Morris Dancers Facebook page.

Related topics: