• THE PYRE PARADE - EAST

• (2019)

Rough Band • Death Walk  • Community • Ritual

Following the 2018 Pyre Parade, many people said they’d like the event to become an annual tradition. On Saturday 26 October 2019, the Pyre Parade returned to the streets of Ipswich, this time bigger, with music, food and an After Burn gathering following the fire.

Throughout the second half of October, black dog effigies guarded special collection boxes at locations across the town. Once again, people were invited to write down and post their bad news into these boxes - bad debts, health worries, a sour relationship, or simply colouring in where they’d gone over the edges. Whatever the badness, the beast was fed.

This year, many more people became performers, helping to make props, costumes and masks in the lead-up to the event. Parade Skills Making Sessions offered friendly get-togethers for anyone who wanted to help make stuff. Anyone could also join the newly formed Pyre Choir, which met weekly to learn songs to sing - and shout - along the parade route and at the burn.

At 6pm, hundreds of people gathered at The Think Tank, decorated beautifully by Amy Wragg. From there, a big, noisy parade marched the collected bad news through the town on an original bier provided by Ipswich Museum, accompanied by the Pyre Choir and a host of special guest performers. In Christchurch Park, the badness was ceremonially set alight, the flames engulfing the effigy and everything it contained.

In response to audience feedback from 2018 - when people said they loved the event but felt it was a shame that the burn happened and everyone then dispersed - After Burn became a new part of the Pyre Parade. With hundreds more people joining the parade in 2019, many continued on to The Think Tank afterwards to share food, hang out and dance, with music from J.S & the Lockerbillies and DJ Roki.

Burning up the night sky, and opening space for a better future.