Parade with Pride

Karen Neville

Woking

Woking is the venue for the first Pride event to take place in Surrey and Woking couldn’t be prouder to be hosting the celebration.

The colourful vibrant parade will start at HG Wells Conference Centre, when accompanied by the Mayor of Woking it will pass through the town gates and around the centre.

From midday the gates will open in Woking Park where you can enjoy live entertainment on the big stage until 10pm. There will be a large family/youth zone including activities, workshops, face paint and support guidance as well as food and drink stalls and local traders.

The chairman of Pride in Surrey, Stephen Ireland said not only does this year mark the 50th anniversary of Stonewall but also now the first year of an LGBT+ Pride event in Surrey.

He said: “I am thrilled to be working with such a supportive council and Outline Surrey to not only create an amazing event but also raise awareness of the available support to those within the community.”

Mayor of Woking, cllr Will Forster, said they were delighted Woking will host the inaugural Pride in Surrey parade on Saturday, 10th August.

He said: “It is another example of Woking’s growing reputation for hosting colourful and inclusive annual events.

“Pride in Surrey celebrates the inclusion and diversity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) culture and community within Surrey.”

Want to go?

Tickets are required for the event in Woking Park, they are free to all but organisers need you to register to plan for your health and safety.

For more information

Chocalicious! Woking festival

Round & About

Woking

Now the festive season is a memory, cheer-up treats are needed and what could be better than The Fantastical Chocolate Festival in Woking?

Chocolate… nothing more needs to be said to get your attention, who doesn’t love it? So all chocaholics listen up…

Woking’s H G Wells Centre is hosting The Fantastical Chocolate Festival to get the month off to a delicious start.

Kids of all ages can enjoy a day of delectable confectionery, sing-along live music, chocolatiers, tasty treats and Willy Wonka-inspired characters to keep you entertained all day.

An array of chocolate and confectionery goodness is on offer with everything from chocolate fountains and fondues to artisan traders and tasting experiences. If you decide you have perhaps overdone the chocolate, then how about candyfloss flowers, candy apple stalls and ice cream to dive into..?

You can also enjoy artisan hot chocolate to keep you warm and if you fancy something stronger, how about chocolate vodka, wine, gin and beer for the “bigger” kids?

Younger members of the family can even enjoy playing with the stuff – how lucky are they? – as well as having a go at decorating an egg and getting creative at the arts and crafts station.

Included with your ticket price are a cotton chocolate festival bag to collect your goodies, a festival mug and a sweet or savoury skewer for dipping in the fountains.

This feast of chocolate is on Saturday, 9th February, 11.30am to 8pm.

  For more details and ticket prices email [email protected]

Give it a whirl: Woking waltzing

Round & About

Woking

Waltzing in a Winter Wonderland comes to Woking’s New Victoria Theatre on Sunday, 20th January, at 3pm.

What can be more uplifting in winter than the Viennese waltz..?

Especially when the music is written by Austria’s own Strauss dynasty who wrote hundreds of pieces with a clear emphasis on memorable melodies and dance rhythms.

The team at Raymond Gubbay have been producing a Johann Strauss Gala tour for more than four decades and this year they are bringing their new show to the New Victoria Theatre.

Audiences will be whisked back to the glittering romance of a 19th century Viennese ballroom, as you hear some of the most wonderful waltzes and liveliest polkas ever composed; Cinderella Waltz, Thunder and Lightning Polka, Emperor Waltz, Voices of Spring and of course the iconic Blue Danube. The enjoyment of the music will be enhanced by watching the Johann Strauss Dancers capture the occasion with glorious period costumes and exquisitely choreographed routines by Alexandra Worrall, also the show’s director.

The Johann Strauss Orchestra will be under the baton of John Rigby, and the concert will also feature soprano Corinne Cowling and tenor Nico Darmanin. Don’t forget: not only did Johann Strauss bring us delightful dance music, he also wrote operettas. Perhaps Die Fledermaus is the best-known – the tale of one man’s revenge after he is left stranded following a fancy dress party in the middle of town, dressed as a bat!