Macclesfield's 1261 Festival returns this weekend.

Named after the town's charter year, the event on Saturday (August 23) promises to be a celebration of Macclesfield creativity and community.

Expect live music, walking tours, exhibitions, theatre, talks, workshops and, of course, the 1261 Parade.

Town clerk Laura Smith said: "Macclesfield 1261 Festival is a free day of fun for everyone!

"See the big parade at 11am, travel to the stars in the Town Hall Planetarium, and try your luck at Clint Boon's Bingo in the Red Willow car park.

"Kids can get stuck into loads of activities and crafts, and don't miss the brilliant ARTspace bringing colour and creativity to town.

"With free buses all day and programmes in the Town Hall, shops and online – come along, join the fun, and have a fab day in our fab town!"

The 1261 Festival takes place this Saturday, August 23 (Credit: Nub News)

1261 Parade

The Summer Holidays-themed parade has been co-ordinated by Macclesfield Community ArtSpace.

Volunteers have spent the past few months delivering workshops, designing and making props, and manning drop-ins in preparation for the big day.

Starting at 11am, the parade will head down Mill Street before turning down Roe Street.

From their, the procession will travel down Bridge Street and Chestergate before arriving in Market Place.

Following the parade, some of the floats will then sit on display on Castle Street.

ArtSpace are still looking for a few more marshals to lend a an hour of their time during the parade. You can get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Activities

Over 25 venues across Macclesfield will be taking part in the festival, staging more than 40 free activities and performances throughout the day.

Families can head over to The Depot to make their own pizzas or visit the Old Town Hall which will be hosting the WonderDome mobile planetarium, with shows starting every half an hour between 10am and 4pm.

Youngsters can give whittling and campfire cooking a go with The One Project and Modern Woolfare while older visitors enjoy a walking tour, either exploring the life of Ian Curtis with Trevor Stokes or joinig Tina and Daisy for the Macc-abre tour.

Then, from 2pm, Choose Macc is bringing Mrs Boon's Tea Party back to Park Green with live music, homemade cakes, street food vans and more.

The full programme of events, including film screenings, yoga sessions, live music, craft workshops and more, can be found here.

The event has been organised by Macclesfield Town Council (Credit: MTC)

Road closures

Market Place will be closed to incoming traffic between 8am and 7pm on Saturday.

Meanwhile, rolling closures will be in place along the parade route to allow the procession to pass quickly and safely, reopening as soon as possible after the parade has moved on.

The following roads will be closed for a brief period between 11am and 12.30pm:

• Mill Street (Exchange Street – Roe Street)
• Roe Street (Mill Street – Bridge Street)
• Bridge Street (Roe Street – Chestergate)
• Chestergate (Bridge Street – Churchill Way)