Yo ho ho! Bell Court hosts first Pirates Vs Mermaids event

A host of pirates and mermaids will be landing at Bell Court as part of this year’s River Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Marking Bell Court’s first Pirates Vs Mermaids event, visitors will be invited to transform into ferocious buccaneers and mystical sirens to take part in a fancy dress competition that will be judged by the Pirate Queen and her consort, with a treasure chest of prizes up for grabs.

To ensure people really look the part, there will be free face painting available between 10am and 4pm for anyone wanting to become a pirate or mermaid for the day.

There will also be live music, a pirate story-telling corner, photo opportunities with the visiting mermaids and a flash mob from Rozie T Dance. Plus, Everyman will be showing the swash-buckling classic, Pirates of the Caribbean at 5pm on Sunday 1st July.

The family-friendly activities will be taking place throughout the day on Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July.

Toby Saggers, Asset Manager at UK & European, owners of Bell Court, said: “This month we’re celebrating the one year anniversary of Bell Court opening to the public and what better way to mark the occasion than with our first Pirates Vs Mermaids event as part of this year’s River Festival?

“The River Festival is one of the most popular events in Stratford-upon-Avon and we’re very excited to be adding another element to the weekend at Bell Court.”

Visitors to the Bell Court event will also be able to indulge in rum flavoured butter beer at Magic Alley which has been created exclusively for the weekend, whilst enjoying mermaid and pirate themed food and drink, along with special offers, at the many bars and restaurants.

Dave Matthews from Magic Alley, said: “It’s not every day that we get to welcome pirate royalty to Stratford-upon-Avon but I’m sure Pirates Vs Mermaids at Bell Court will be truly fit for a Queen. It’s a great way to bring the community together, through music, story-telling, street entertainment and some great food and drink. I’m sure we’re going to be very impressed with people’s costumes too.”

Anyone entering the fancy dress competition will be in with a chance of winning a £25 gift card from All Bar One, a full platter from Nando’s, wine tasting for two people at Veeno, a family ticket for Magic Alley and two tickets for Everyman cinema.

Pirates Vs Mermaids has been organised by Bell Court owners, UK & European Investments, Magic Alley and the Stratforward BID.

Joe Baconnet, Director of Stratforward BID, said: “This Pirates Vs Mermaids event will be a great new addition to the annual River Festival which welcomes more than 70,000 people to the town every year.”

A new retail and leisure destination, accessed via High Street, Rother Street, Ely Street and High Street, Bell Court is home to numerous bars and restaurants including Nando’s, ASK Italian, All Bar One, Veeno and Miller and Carter, as well as home and lifestyle boutique, Farringdon and Forbes, floral café, Bardia’s, Everyman Cinema and new family attraction, Magic Alley.

Further information about Bell Court, including other upcoming events, can be found at bellcourtstratford.com, or on the Facebook (BellCourtStratford), Twitter (BellCourtLife) and Instagram (BellCourtStratford) pages. More information about the River Festival can be found at http://www.stratforward.co.uk/events/stratford-river-festival/.

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