Roll up! Roll up! Eden Project fete is great this half term

May 11 2009

This half term (May 23-31) the Eden Project is bringing back the traditional British fete with games like hoopla and splat the rat, Punch and Judy shows and lashings of tea and cake.
 
As part of Eden’s late spring Global Garden Party celebrations, the project will be heralding the coming summer with a variety of traditional fete games like hoopla, splat the rat, test your strength, and even a coconut shy – all under cover in Eden’s stage building.
 
Puppet shows, including Reg Payne’s award-winning Punch and Judy and the Cornish Legends show, will be running every day at 11.30am and 3pm. Visitors can also have their faces painted, get temporary tattoos, eat candyfloss and indulge in that most traditional of fete fodder - tea and cake.
 
To inspire visitors to create their own garden party in preparation for the Big Lunch on July 19, Eden will be running workshops and demonstrations on growing and cooking your own food with question and answer sessions from the project’s expert gardeners – the “green team”. Also on a Big Lunch theme, Easter’s popular bunting-making activity will be making a return and visitors can try their hand at cake decorating.
 
For those who enjoy their outdoor thrills at a faster pace, there will be daily demonstrations of skateboarding and mountain-boarding (like skateboarding but off-road) throughout the week and intrepid potential boarders can even try their hand at skating.
 
Dance performances, with street entertainers and circus skills demos also featuring throughout the week. There’ll be a pavement art zone as well as pasty-making and retro craft workshops. Quilt-making demos and Cornish wood-carving will take place throughout the half term.
 
Gabi Gilkes, Eden’s Acting Programme Producer, said: “I’m really excited about the giant Global Garden Party we have coming up for half term. I have wonderful childhood memories of splatting rats, eating candyfloss and watching Punch and Judy at village fetes in early summer. Its such a great time to showcase this at Eden with the massive resurgence we’re seeing in traditional and community- orientated events around Britain.
 
”There really will be something for everyone, with both an urban and a rural feel and a lot of the activities are under cover so no need to worry if it rains!”
 
All activities are included in standard Eden admission, except face-painting (£3), temporary tattoos (from £1) and cake decoration (50p).
 
Eden is open between 9.30am and 6pm (last entry at 4.30pm) and admission costs £16 for adults, £11 for seniors, £5 for children, £8 for students and £38 for a family (two adults and up to three children). To book tickets, call the Eden box office on 01726 811972 or visit www.edenproject.com