Gallery: Wacky Masquepony performances wowed Cartmel (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Gallery: Wacky Masquepony performances wowed Cartmel

11:07am Thursday 23rd August 2012 in Shows and Festivals news By Helen Perkins, Reporter

STRANGE and wonderful performances drew crowds to a Lakeland circus and street festival this weekend.

Hundreds visited Cartmel to watch theatre, comedy and fireworks during the two-day Masquepony spectacular.

Crowds braved heavy downpours on Friday to watch contemporary comedy, magic and music laid on for free.

The following day 1,200 people witnessed big top acrobats with trapeze, hula hoops, juggling, aerial skills and clowns.

Festival organisers Lakes Alive said an alfresco banquet at Cartmel Racecourse brought the weekend to a sunny and successful close.

Jan Shorrack, of Kendal Arts International, said: “We think it went really well as a first time In Cartmel. We had a lovely turnout.

“The sun came out on Saturday night for a banquet at the race course. People brought out giant bowls of tiramisu and all kinds of foods and there was catering there for people to buy too.”

Other acts to wow the crowds included silent movie clowning, acrobats and slackrope walking by Artizani, and Encore’s One Minute Masterpieces which reduced classic performances Swan Lake, Bohemian Rapsody and Star Wars to 60 seconds.

Ms Shorrack added that Friday evening’s musical bluegrass band performance by The Coal Porters was a sell out.

She said: “The village was really busy over the weekend. It absolutely threw it down on Friday but we still had good audiences.

“People were generous. We are still counting the donations that came back.”

With fiddle, mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar and doghouse bass, with three-part harmonies The Caol Porters had supported from Tongues of Fire.

Masquepony had been created as a ticketed camping festival, but organisers opted to reduce its size and make it free earlier this year.

They said they had not decided if they would return to Cartmel in following years.