Punters at the Tameside Beer Festival were served up a world premiere alongside their pints.
Real ale fans were all agog when two enormous Manchester bees appeared outside Stalybridge Civic Hall, closely followed by scores of brightly costumed dancers and musicians.
They were then treated to the first ever performance of a uniquely northern spectacle, set to wow international crowds at one of Europe’s largest street festivals later this month.
Featuring over 30 performers, the piece’s crescendo was a ‘Maypole moment’. As the towering Queen Bee’s skirt unfurled, eight dancers grasped onto her hand painted silken ribbons, circling the puppet in the traditional folk dance style.
Masterminded and produced by Tameside Carnival arts organisation Global Grooves, the production is one of several heading out to La Mercè in Barcelona, to celebrate Manchester’s appointment as this year’s Festival guest city. The work was commissioned by XTRAX.
The two Manchester bees, made by creative partner Cabasa CIC, are giant walkabout puppets. A Worker Bee and a Queen Bee, they will take part in two traditional parades at the Festival, which attracts crowds of up to two million each year. They were crafted during a collaboration between local artists including Emily Wood of Cabasa CIC, Mel Roberts, Lizzie Rigby and Dave Young and three of Catalonia’s best known puppet makers, Dolors Sans, Pau Reig and Joaquin Luna.
Twenty dancers from Saddleworth Women’s Morris & Clog and Indian Association Oldham Dancing Diyas performed alongside the bees and will travel with them to Barcelona. Ranging in age from 20s-60s, they have been working together with Brazilian choreographer Adriana Rosso over a two month period. Their cross-cultural dance piece reflects the heritage of their different dance styles.
Local brass players and percussionists accompanied the dancers, airing for the first time a new piece of music, commissioned as part of the project. Written by Jack Tinker and Emma Marsh, it combines elements of both Indian and British folk sounds alongside other global influences.
After taking part in the week-long annual Catalonian festival, a reworked version of Global Grooves’ performance will return to the region next year as part of Oldham’s Illuminate Light Night in February and Manchester Day 2026.
Johnny Clifford, producer, Global Grooves, said: “Bringing this project to life has been an incredible journey, made possible by so many dedicated partners both here and in Catalonia. Sharing it first with a home crowd in Tameside was a real honour.
“Being invited to take part in La Mercè shows how Greater Manchester’s creativity resonates internationally. It’s a chance to celebrate our own heritage while sharing in Barcelona’s spirit of openness.”
Barcelona’s La Mercè festival takes place each year at the end of September. Loved by locals and tourists alike, a huge number of events run over a whole week and include street processions, concerts, street arts and traditional cultural celebrations.
Global Grooves were supported to create this work by Manchester City Council, Arts Council England and XTRAX and funded by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), GM Arts, Oldham Council, and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.
