Friday, 30 May 2025
The Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade is back!
For the first parade since 2022, and just the second one of the 2020s, Handmade Productions invite you on a ramble through water, woods, and wilderness, the Calderdale Way. Expect to see canal boats and the Duck Race; a tribe of wild garlic and dancing bluebells in the woodlands; a Silly Goose; jackdaw coiners on the hilltops; and a giant heart showing our love and affection for the Calder Valley.
Handmade Parades started in Hebden Bridge in 2008 and were held annually until the pandemic, becoming one of Hebden Bridge's finest traditions.
Open workshops start 7 June
Open workshops for people to create their parade costume begin on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June, 10.30am–1pm and 3–5.30pm, and continue the following weekend Saturday 14 June and Sunday 15 June (same times).
Entry is by a suggested donation of £5 per person for the first session and £1 per person for further visits.
If you would like to learn to stilt walk, play in the Handmade Fantasy Street Band, or dance in the parade, there are special parade workshops.
No experience is necessary but under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, see the Parade website.
Photos: HebWeb
Director and Creative Producer of Handmade Productions Clare Danon says, "We are so excited to bring the Handmade Parade back to Hebden Bridge.
"This year's summer parade will celebrate our local nature and culture – bringing water, woods, and wilderness to the streets of Hebden Bridge. Please come along to our open workshops with your creative flair and be a part of this very special community event."
Handmade Parade 2018 - Photos: HebWeb
The 2025 Parade
The fourteenth Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade will be at 12 noon on Sunday 22 June, followed by a Picnic in Calder Holmes Park until 5pm.
Volunteering opportunities
If you would like to be involved, please come and volunteer. We have lots of jobs that don't need a big commitment but make a huge difference to the parade – for example, carrying small artwork, operating a puppet, pushing a wheeled structure, face painting, or staffing the information desk in the park. Please email for more information.
This year's Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade is supported by Arts Council England, Calderdale Council, and Hebden Royd Town Council.
For further information, contact Katherine Greenwood, Project Manager.
See also
- HebWeb Feature on the Handmade Parade - with photos and info from all previous Parades, back to 2008.
- The Parade website
- The route - see below
