Weymouth’s 'Dusk Till Dark' returns with 9ft high illuminated fish
We're promised an ocean quest through the town
An "ocean adventure" is set to weave its way through the streets of Weymouth this weekend.
'Dusk Till Dark' returns Friday and Saturday (23 and 24 September) with a spellbinding parade inside an eerie underwater world featuring luminescent sea creatures and gigantic bicycle-powered wizardry.
Organised by Activate and Inside Out Dorset in partnership with We Are Weymouth and Weymouth Town Council, this year’s free event - 'Peixos by Surruga' - follows on from the success of 2021 where giant puppet Dundu explored the town as the sun set.
Peixos is Catalan for fish. Barcelona-based performing arts company Sarruga has been making street theatre since 1994, and is known for its original giant metal sculptures inspired by nature.
The hour-long route starts at 7:30pm from Western Road, through to the King's Statue and along the Esplanade to the Pavilion Theatre.
Dawn Rondeau, Chief Operations Officer at We Are Weymouth, said:
“The success of our 2021 Dusk Till Dark event in Weymouth was so resounding that we knew immediately that this should be an annual event.
"The draw of events such as this brings vast numbers of visitors to the town, benefitting our local businesses during an otherwise quieter time of year."
"It’s so important to us that events such as this go ahead and collaborating with organisations such as Activate and Inside Out Dorset, mean that our local communities have access to performances and the Arts which may not otherwise have been possible.
"We had amazing feedback from businesses, locals and visitors in 2021 and we’re so excited to share this next performance with the town.”
Mayor of Weymouth, Cllr Ann Weaving, said:
“Weymouth Town Council is delighted to be working with partners to bring this creative two-day performance to the streets of Weymouth for a second year.
"It’s fantastic that young people from the town have been able to take part in Activate’s summer school at Weymouth College and learn more about puppet-making, as well as providing great insight into what goes into staging these imaginative, large-scale performances.”
Art works and puppets created during Activate summer workshops will be displayed in shops throughout the town, bringing the community together in the build up to Peixos.
Kate Wood, Director at Activate said:
“Following the success of Sense of Unity in our Inside Out Dorset festival last year, we are so pleased to be presenting another show in Weymouth this September.
"We have a summer of fishy-themed workshops across the area building up to the performances and Sarruga is a fabulous company from Barcelona which is excited to bring its fabulous parade show here in September.”