Don’t miss the epic dragon flight coming to Wakefield this August bank holiday

Hatching from an egg outside Wakefield Cathedral on Friday, August 23rd, acclaimed flying dragon puppet The Hatchling will be roaming the streets of Wakefield on the Friday and Saturday this bank holiday weekend, before taking a breath-taking flight over Pugneys Country Park on the evening of Sunday 25th August.  
  
This family friendly and free event comes from award-winning artists and producers Trigger. The Hatchling’s visit is a much-anticipated element of Wakefield Council’s 366-day programme of cultural and creative activity, Our Year – Wakefield District 2024.  

Standing taller than a double decker bus, the dragon will interact with the general public as well as receiving performances from local community groups and organisations to showcase the breadth of the Wakefield district’s unique culture. Groups confirmed include Castleford Male Voice Choir, West Yorkshire Police Band and Wakefield Whirlwinds wheelchair basketball team, alongside organisations such as CAPA College and Theatre Royal Wakefield.  
  
Attendees will also be able to try new skills for free through activity hubs across the three days, with something for all ages. The Art House will be offering creative activities including screen printing, outdoor chalk drawing and herb hunting in the urban garden. At an event hub in Wakefield Cathedral’s Precinct, visitors can try badge making and hand stitching a dragon egg, whilst at Coronation Gardens, they can join in sculpture play with The Hepworth Wakefield to build dens, play games and craft sculptures.  
  
For the final day of the performance, visitors will access Pugneys Country Park via shuttle buses from Wakefield, Hemsworth and Pontefract, details of which can be found online.   
In anticipation of The Hatchling’s spectacular flight at 9pm, from 3pm activity hubs at Pugneys will offer yoga, Pilates and life drawing in the ‘dragon zone’, as well as a dedicated family area with bubble entertainment and the chance to make your own dragon caller and paper kites.  
    
Brought to life by a team of artists and puppeteers from Wakefield district and West Yorkshire, The Hatchling will also showcase the best of local talent and creativity.  
  
Creative Director of Trigger, Angie Bual commented: “In the run-up to the performance, The Hatchling team has been rehearsing six days a week, working with our esteemed puppetry director Mervyn Millar, who was part of the original creative team of War Horse, and our world class designer Carl Robertshaw who is a World Sport Kite Champion Flier and designer on 2012 Olympics and the Olivier-Award Winning West End hit show Stranger Things. They are learning how to not only move like a dragon but think like a dragon and of course preparing for The Hatchling’s finale flight. It’s been three years since The Hatchling last took flight and I’m so excited for a new audience to see her soar here in Wakefield.”  
  
Mel Neale, puppeteer in The Hatchling cast and founding artist of CoActive, a Wakefield based arts collective also taking part in The Hatchling’s performance, added: “One of the most exciting things about the performance for me is, whilst we can practice the puppetry movement, a lot of the performance will be improvised as we react to events unfolding throughout the day. From rainstorms to crying babies, we don’t fully know what to expect which makes The Hatchling’s performance even more meaningful as it’s effectively created by the community as they meet and interact with the dragon.  
  
“I’m hugely proud to be a part of this special moment for the district and looking forward to finding out what the Wakefield community makes of the dragon and what the dragon makes of Wakefield!”  
  
The Hatchling is just one element in a packed programme for 2024 which includes a supercharged series of festivals, exhibitions, talks and activities in the Wakefield district as well as major events from key partner organisations including The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.  
  
Our Year - Wakefield District will offer people across the Wakefield district the chance to get involved in culture and creativity, experiencing the positive role it plays in their community. The year-long project will also encourage more people to visit, putting Wakefield on the map as the creative hub of the North.  

Find out more at: ouryear2024.co.uk   

And for more information on The Hatchling’s visit to Wakefield visit: ouryear24.com/Hatchling  
  
  
 About Our Year  

Our Year – Wakefield District 2024 is a partnership celebration led by Wakefield Council.  
The council is enabling Our Year to leave a lasting legacy for its people and places, working in partnership with organisations from Wakefield district and the West Yorkshire region. West Yorkshire Combined Authority has also supported Our Year with a grant of £800,000 towards the cost of staging the year-long programme, with Arts Council England investing £500,000 and National Lottery Heritage Fund supporting with a grant of £245,000. To find out about Our Year, please visit ouryear2024.co.uk  
For further information, follow Our Year on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  

About Trigger  

Trigger are shape shifting creatives who dream-up, create and produce free, bold and brave live events. Trigger reimagine and revive public spaces, interrupt daily life, and put audiences and togetherness at the heart of everything they do.   
   
Led by Creative Director and artist Angie Bual and Executive Director Natalie Adams, Trigger’s varied output is inclusive, accessible and boundary-pushing. It’s always memorable, often large-scale and outdoors. Their epic, imaginative spaces range include: PoliNations - a city-centre super garden celebrating biodiversity and multiculturalism; The Hatchling - a ground-breaking puppetry and kite flying experience; TEABREAK, a heart-warming outdoor touring show around the history and the ritual of tea; Ground, an immersive dining and theatre experience. Trigger is for everyone, and everyone is invited.  
   
triggerstuff.co.uk   
X: @triggerstuff | Facebook: @TriggerStuff | Instagram: @trigger_stuff | TikTok: @triggerstuff  
#Triggerstuff  
  
About The Hatchling  

The Hatchling is a ground-breaking outdoor theatrical performance that unfolds over a weekend of events leading up to an extraordinary finale. With a wingspan of over 20 metres, the Hatchling is the world’s largest human-operated puppet to fly.   
A beautiful visitor hatches, builds herself a nest and then takes to the skies in a bid for her freedom. Along the way she explores the city, and as she roams, she encounters a series of events from intimate interactions to city-wide performances, prepared especially for her majestic visit.   
At the end of her journey The Hatchling undergoes an incredible metamorphosis, unfurls her wings, and takes flight!   
In 2021 the World Premiere of The Hatchling drew a live audience of 30,000 to Plymouth city-centre over 2 days. In 2022 The Hatchling was experienced by a live audience of 22,000 and a broadcast audience of 8.7m leading cultural celebrations along The Mall for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant.  
www.thehatchling.co.uk   
#TheHatchling