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Giant puppet to feature in city street parade

Burn the Curtain A view looking from the ground at a puppet of a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a green dress with purple stripes and is carrying a woven basket. Behind the puppet is a brick building and the cloudy night sky.Burn the Curtain
The street parade will celebrate Exeter's cultural identity, including Sidwella, the patron saint of the city

A giant puppet of the patron saint of Exeter is set to make an appearance at a street parade later.

Organisers of the Sidwell Street Spring Parade said the event would celebrate "Exeter's culture, community and rich diversity".

Sidwella, the daughter of a wealthy landowner who lived in the Devon city in the 8th Century, was said to be compassionate and often brought food and water to villagers.

As well as the puppet Sidwella, the parade will feature large-scale carnival lanterns depicting folk tales and mythology from "different cultural origins of communities that feature in Exeter", organisers said.

'Interesting stories'

The Sidwell Street Spring Parade was co-created by Exeter outdoor theatre company Burn the Curtain and groups who use the Sidwell Centre.

Joe Hancock, from Burn the Curtain, said the puppet had previously made an appearance at an event in 2023.

"We have a background in making extraordinary, outside public events and giant puppets so when we were invited to be part of InExeter's Winter Parade in 2023 we jumped at the chance to build something extraordinary and particular to Exeter," he said.

"Sidwella was so well received then that we were inspired to bring her back again. After that, who knows?

"There are so many interesting stories in Exeter that could be part of an annual parade."

The free event begins at 19:00 GMT on Sidwell Street.

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