Burnley May Day Festival and parade to take place on bank holiday Monday at Towneley Park

The 45th annual festival will again be at Towneley Park and features the usual fun fair, donkey rides and stalls in the marquee. The ever popular Pendle Dog Agility Club will be performing two of their amazing dog agility displays.

Secretary of the Burnley Trades Union Council Mr Peter Thorne said: “This year’s headline speaker is Justin Madders MP, Labour shadow minister on employment rights and protections. Other guests will include the regional secretary of North West TUC Jay McKenna and Burnley’s Labour prospective Parliamentary candidate Oliver Ryan.

“We also hope to have a speaker from USDAW to speak about their fight for trade union recognition at Boohoo.”

The day will begin with a parade from the sports pavilion car park to the festival site, setting off at noon. The parade will be led by the Clarion Choir who will also sing at the event. Events at the park will start around 11am with the funfair and the various charity and trade union stalls around the field and in the marquee.

The Clarion Choir will commence proceedings on the stage with a short song recital at 12-30pm followed by the speakers at 1pm. The dog agility displays will be at 1-30pm and 3pm.

Burnley’s May Day Festival is one of the longest running in the country, and other than the two Covid years, has run every year since 1978.

Prominent speakers of recent festivals have included Jeremy Corbyn and the current Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.