Kings, Queens and Mr Lear Parade - knowsley village

On Saturday 4 June, over 500 Knowsley Village residents turned out for a spectacular parade celebrating the heritage of the village and a highlight of Knowsley’s year as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture.

‘Kings Queens and Mr. Lear’ was a colourful celebration of Knowsley Village’s rich history of holding royal celebrations and its connections to the celebrated poet, author and illustrator, Edward Lear. It was while living at Knowsley Hall that Lear painted an array of exotic birds and animals and wrote the much-loved children’s poem ‘The Owl and the Pussy-cat’ for the Earl of Derby’s children.

‘Kings Queens and Mr. Lear’ was a visual spectacle, created by commissioned parade specialists Handmade Parade, with the procession being led through the village by renowned Brazilian drumming troupe Katumba.

Local children and residents dressed in vibrant costumes and were at the heart of the parade, where they carried parade art, inspired by the works of Edward Lear that they had created themselves. Stilt walkers and large-scale puppets including a rose queen also joined the local community in this vibrant parade. A special highlight was the specially commissioned puppet of ‘Lear’s Macaw’ a rare species of all-blue macaw native to Brazil and named after Edward Lear.