Sarehole Pumpkin Flotilla!

Birmingham Museums Trust 2023

 

The Brief

We had enjoyed visiting Aston Hall and Blakesley Hall – also buildings cared for by the Birmingham Museums Trust – with some of our Rusticus Adventures but so far hadn’t had the chance to visit the atmospheric Sarehole Mill when we got the call in 2023. Could we help with a quality uplift for the well-loved Pumpkin Flotilla event held in October..?

 

What We Did

Understanding the site was crucial to the success of the event and we carried out a site visit which includes the beautifully renovated old mill buildings, the mill pond and a cobbled yard. In addition we were keen to understand what audiences expect from this established event. We identified that a hosting role would be ideal – essentially facilitating the audiences’ journey around the site from start point to culminate in their enjoyment of the pumpkin flotilla on the mill pond. Utilising a framing device of the Sarehole Witchfinders – which was a reference to the site’s rich rural industrial heritage – we created a short performance to welcome audiences to the event and ready them for an adventure before taking them in groups to experience the grinning jack o lanterns floating on the pond.

 

The Result

We delivered three successful nights at the Sarehole Pumpkin Flotilla – with our presence both adding to the quality of the experience but serving to facilitate the smooth running of audience flow over the course of each evening.

Witchfinders at Sarehole Mill Pumpkin Flotilla

“It was brilliant – thank you!!”

Audience member

Want this for your event?

 

If you would like us to deliver this sort of performance at your venue, get in touch.

 

01377 241498