Fun for everyone at this year's Musselburgh Festival

A host of events are planned for this year’s festival, with old favourites such as the ride out and the fancy dress parade joined by new additions, including a family ‘party in the park’, as the emphasis is placed on fun events for the whole community.

Neil Wilson, festival president, highlighted the importance of the annual event – which was postponed last year as the Riding of the Marches was held – which he said gave the Honest Toun its own identity.

He said this year’s festival aimed to “keep up the momentum” created during last year’s Riding of the Marches to cater for the youth of the town and beyond.

Mr Wilson told the Courier: “Identity is difficult, particularly as Musselburgh’s area has changed with the restructuring of the council wards, which has seen Wallyford and Whitecraig move into a different ward. The villages are 100 per cent part of the Musselburgh community, regardless of ward status.

“We also welcome visitors from the wider East Lothian community, as the festival is for the whole county and we want as many people as possible to join us in the celebration.

“If we lose our identity we just become another town but we are special in Musselburgh and are proud of our traditions.”

Mr Wilson, a former Honest Lad, had the role of Town Champion at last year’s Riding of the Marches – an ancient boundary-marking ceremony which takes place in the Honest Toun every 21 years.

For that year, the Musselburgh Festival is put in abeyance but it is also steeped in tradition as the idea was born out of the success and enthusiasm created by the 1935 Riding of the Marches.

The first festival was held in 1936 and ready to lead the 2017 event, which starts this weekend, are Honest Lad Jamie Cameron and Honest Lass Hayley Johnston along with their attendants Michael Morrison, Conor Scott and Katie McLaren.

Their first outing during festival week will be at the traditional Harbour Ceremony on Saturday at 2pm when the official party will take to the ocean wave on the only commercial fishing boat at Fisherrow owned by James Fairnie and Sons Ltd. On their return to shore they will be presented with mussels which they eat before dancing the Musselburgh Reel.

This will be followed by a raft race, sponsored by Clark Brothers fishmongers, at 3pm.

Also that day, is the Fisherrow Waterfront Family Fun day, with activities at the beach from 9.45am including a sand castle competition and working with an East Lothian Ranger. There is also the chance to take part in a ‘come and try’ Community Festival of Sport at Fisherrow Links which will feature rugby, football, tennis and hockey from noon to 2pm. A bowls tournament is being held at Musselburgh Municipal Bowling Club at Fisherrow from 9.30am.

The Kirkin’ is at St Michael’s Church, Inveresk, on Sunday at 2pm when local clergy conduct an ecumenical service at which the Honest Lad and Lass are charged with leading the festival celebration. Prior to this, the official party lead a procession, involving Honorary Provost Councillor John Williamson, uniformed organisations, representatives from the the Rotary Club of Musselburgh and Musselburgh & Inveresk Community Council, along Newbigging to the kirk.

In a change to the traditional programme, the Sashing Ceremony on the banks of the River Esk, at which the Honest Lad and Lass, receive their sashes will be held on the Sunday, not Wednesday, at 4.15pm. Mr Wilson said this was to have the ceremonial events together and give them the opportunity to wear their sashes for the whole week of the festival. Jamie will also be entrusted with the Burgh Flag and Hayley, the jewelled riding crop bearing the Musselburgh crest. John McNeil, Musselburgh’s longest serving councillor who retired at the East Lothian Council elections earlier this year, has the honour of carrying out the sashing.

A family treasure hunt, which proved popular during RoM, is scheduled for Monday in Lewisvale Park and has already attracted more than 100 participants. This will be followed by a Teddy Bears’ Picnic at 2pm.

In the evening, more than 100 riders and horses turn out for the Crusaders Chase, organised by the Crusaders Riding Club. They make their way round the town starting sharp at 5.45pm at the Roman Bridge, fording the Esk en route for a gallop along the beach at Fisherrow no earlier than 8.45pm. All riders register that evening and should be mounted by 5.15pm at the latest. Immediately after they leave, the duck race will be under starter’s orders.

The ever expanding Junior Ride-Out for under-16s will have pride of place on Tuesday. Organised by the Crusaders Riding Club and sponsored by Lodge St. John Fisherrow 112, it will leave from Musselburgh Grammar School car park at 5pm. From there the ride will head via the High Street and Shorthope Street before a break at the Masonic Lodge in Balcarres Road. The riders will then head for the harbour where they will meet the Boys’ Brigade Pipe Band before returning via New Street, High Street and finishing back at the grammar school.

Supported by the Musselburgh Common Good Fund and Riding of the Marches, a new highlight of the festival is the Lewisvale Family Party in the Park, which is free to all, from noon to 4pm on Wednesday. This follows the success of the event during Riding of the Marches and will include music at the bandstand, dance stage, pony rides, market stalls, children’s entertainment and fairground, children’s sports, an animal petting zoo, face painting, bouncy castles and tarot card reader.

A tea dance is planned for 2pm on Thursday at the Brunton Hall and a new addition to the annual event is the Community Festival Concert in the Loretto Theatre at 7pm. Tickets for both are available from Wilson’s of Musselburgh in the High Street. Also that day, is a new Presentation Night with tea, scones, cakes and sandwiches, along the lines of the traditional Bun Fight, at the Brunton Hall. The Honest Lad and Lass receive gifts along with the anniversary Honest Lads and Lasses from 25 years, 50 years and 60 years. A first for the festival is a 70th anniversary celebration for May White, Honest Lass in 1947. Tickets are available from Wilson’s of Musselburgh and Fair Fu’ in North High Street.

The Mario’s sponsored Festival Fancy Dress Parade will make its away through the town on Friday, July 28. Starting at King Street, floats will join from Pinkie Road and pedestrians from Loretto RC playing fields. Judging starts at 6pm and floats should head to Levenhall roundabout to join the queue at Pinkie Road.

A variety of events will take place on Saturday, July 29, as the festival draws to a close. They will get underway with the Festive Ride at 9am which will take place in tandem with a street market outside the Town Hall from 9am to 1.30pm. Participants will assemble at the Pinkie Pillars to ride the town’s boundaries, arriving back at 1.30pm. A family picnic will start at Musselburgh Racecourse at 1pm which will involve live shows and horse races involving principals from Border festivals. There will also be a children’s race, ladies race, Crusaders Chase race and Honest Lads race.

The Festival Ball in the Brunton Hall at 7.30pm, a new feature of the programme, will herald the end of this year’s festival.

All the week’s events will be listed at www.musselburghfestival.org on Facebook or from the programme which is available from retail outlets.