Discover more about this West Yorkshire town's unusual festival.
Many legends have taken place under the silvery backdrop of the moon, providing a mysterious setting for forbidden goings-on. The Slaithwaite Moonraking Legend is no different, when back in the 1800s the Napoleonic Wars caused goods such as alcohol to become so heavily steeped in tax, that smuggling became a common affair, resulting in this particular legend being born.
The tale goes that a local smuggler was travelling on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to Slaithwaite, with his illicit goods in tow, that was, until he spotted the law and threw the cargo straight into the water. When the sun set and the moon rose, the smuggler sent his associates to rescue the contraband, knowing they’d be able to use the light of the full moon to guide them. Off they went, using rakes and hooks to try fish the booty out of the water, until the militia stumbled upon this midnight heist.
“The moon’s fallen into the canal” said one of the men. “Yes” chimed in another. “We’re simply trying to rake it out to return it to the sky”. Rather bizarrely, this inventive and quick-witted tale helped them evade arrest, the militia believing the men to be drunken fools and left them to their moonraking. Needless to say, the smugglers will have most definitely enjoyed the fruits of their labour after their narrow escape.
And it’s this exact scene, a few hundred years later, that will be acted out to an audience of thousands at the final night of the Moonraking Festival in Slaithwaite. For on one night, every other year, the town comes alive with a sea of beautiful, brightly lit lanterns, dancing in the dark February sky towards the Huddersfield Narrow Canal for the Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival.
Having taken place for 30 years, this is a celebration of living in the Colne Valley, thanks to the creativity of local group Satellite Arts, along with Slaithwaite Community Association, who were inspired to recreate the centuries-old legend. Providing a welcome diversion from the winter gloom, the festival epitomises the strong community spirit which is part of this, and many, Pennine towns.
After a three-year hiatus due to lockdown, festival organiser, Gill Bond, is beyond thrilled to see the return of Slaithwaite Moonraking: “I am absolutely over the moon! We can’t wait to get busy creating lanterns with families from Slaithwaite and beyond.”
At the heart of the festival, without a doubt, is community. The week leading up to the moonraking spectacular sees the village brimming with music, storytelling, and most importantly, lantern-making workshops, where people of all ages create wonderful willow lanterns of all shapes and sizes. This year’s theme is water, so be sure to get your thinking caps on if you intend to join in the fun.
“The people of Slaithwaite make our festival happen,” explains, Gill. “Each individual lantern coming together with hundreds of other lanterns, each window illuminated with beautiful artwork, all those individual elements come together to create a special night in the winter darkness.” However, the festival is open to everyone and will see thousands descend on the town to join the celebrations, especially on the final night.
As the illuminated lanterns make their way along the canal, music cuts through the cold air and sweet songs fill the night’s sky. A giant lantern moon glides gently down the canal atop a raft, which is then raked onto the bank by a group of women. Suddenly, comic gnomes with long beards succeed in landing the moon by using a crane and then proceed to carry it around the village along with hundreds of other lanterns. Accompanied by the sound of samba drums and jazz bands, the moon is danced along the streets climbing the steep Bankgate towards Hilltop.
It's quite the spectacle, igniting joy and merriment into every heart around. We can’t help but think those sneaky smugglers will have been pretty pleased with the legacy of their moonraking ways.
February 11-18, the main event takes place on the final night. To find out more, visit slaithwaitemoonraking.org.uk
The festival is now an independent, charitable organisation run by local people. For this year’s festival to go ahead, a fundraising campaign was held that raised over £28,797 thanks to a community wide fundraising effort. This involved music concerts, a ceilidh, a village wide garage sale, hundreds of small donations, a major grant from The Arts Council and donations from Kirklees Council’s Growing Great Places Fund, Yorkshire Water, Colne Valley Members Local Project Fund (Kirklees Council), Stylecraft Yarns, Northern Sole Café, Anello Pizza Restaurant, Re: hair and beauty, Zapato Brewery and Slaithwaite Community Association. Local businesses Ruddi’s retreat and Om Is Where The Heart Is sold special Moonraker products which included a donation to Moonraking.
