most Wuthering Heights Day Ever – Folkestone

Do you ever need an excuse to don a red floaty dress and prance around doing your best Kate Bush impression?  No?  Well, come and join the rest of us on the Harbour Arm in Folkestone for the Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever!  Returning in 2023 on Sunday 30th July with a warm up event in The Goods Yard from 9.30, come and find out what it’s like to be Kate Bush.  Event organiser Jonathan Pratt took a moment’s breather from rehearsals to tell Folkelife all about how the idea came about:

“The first ever Most Wuthering Heights Day was done by a group in Brighton in 2013, and they called it Shambush.  Well, after a few drinks on the train home from work with some friends, we thought it would be great if this happened in Folkestone too!  None of us are particularly big Kate Bush fans.  It’s actually quite bizarre if you think about it for too long, but it’s incredibly good fun!”

a global phenomenon

The first event in Brighton happened on the 13th July, so organisers try and get as close to that date as possible.  This has become a global phenomenon; Australia, Tel Aviv, Dublin… it’s everywhere.

Jonathan, and his co-organisers Tim Jones, Toby Cotton, Ben Cartwright and Pete Burkinshaw put on their first event in 2018.  “We weren’t sure if anyone would come at all.  Then, as we were waiting on the Harbour Arm, we saw a sea of red, floaty people coming across the Viaduct and waving as they walked. It was amazing.  In 2019 we doubled the attendance, and extended the show too.  We filmed and screened on the Big Screen so people could see what was going on.  We also wanted to put on awards for Best Beard and Best Wig and so on.”

supporting local charities

“It’s totally free so open to anyone to join in, or just come along and watch.  We try to collect for charity too.  Both charities have a personal link; Living Words, a nationwide charity with local roots working with people with dementia; and Unique, which is also a nationwide charity, supporting people with rare chromosome disorders.”

If you missed it, they will be back again!