Tram Sunday set to be '˜best festival yet'

Organisers of Fleetwood Festival of Transport says this Sunday's event will be the biggest and best yet - and will include a virtual reality ride and a spectacular jumping astronaut.
The Vander Wheel of Death at this year's SpareParts FestivalThe Vander Wheel of Death at this year's SpareParts Festival
The Vander Wheel of Death at this year's SpareParts Festival

The free spectacle, still known in the town as Tram Sunday, is now much more than a conventional classic vehicle display and incorporates the colourful SpareParts arts festival as well.

So as well as a huge 200-strong collection of vintage cars, buses, lorries, motorcycles and trams in and around the town centre, there will also be crazy characters and weird mechanical creations, and an exciting new attraction akin to something from science fiction.

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There will also be two very different parades and a much greater involvement from Fleetwood children than ever before.

Earlier this year the SpareParts element was handed an investment package by Arts Council England to help it keep running in Fleetwood until 2020, and to also continue its expansion into other transport festivals in Sandbach and Crewe in Cheshire.

Dave Carlos, the transport festival’s operations director, said: “With the huge community effort involved, the exciting new attractions and an increase in the number of vehicles, I can honestly say this year is going to be the best yet.”

“It’s the sort of event you would travel miles to see, yet it’s here in Fleetwood and it’s free to attend.”

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Displays will be ready for the public at 10am, with the parade of vintage vehicles beginning at 11am on Lord Street.

The SpareParts parade sets off down the high street at 3pm, and includes an armada of disabled scooters dressed up as trawlers.

SpareParts will also include a performance artist called the Urban Astronaut, attempting spectacular 20ft jumps into the air, and daredevil performers in the Vander Wheel of Death.

Also new is the VR Playground, which will be based in the Euston Gardens, where people can put on a VR headset, jump on a playground swing and be transported inside an experimental virtual reality ride mechanism - and it’s disabled-friendly.

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Fleetwood children are contributing to SparePartrs and some of them have been making a giant octopus.

Robert Brown, festival chairman, says the event will wrap up at 3.45pm ready for the World Cup final.

Visit www.fleetwoodfestivaloftransport.co.uk