Wakefield Museums and Castles

A large crowd of costumed performers stood in front of sets designed to look like Wakefield landmarks in a park

Wakefield Pageant

The Pageant of Wakefield and the West Riding took place on 17 to 28 June 1933 in Thornes Park. It celebrated Wakefield's past and imagined the city's future.

The pageant was inspired by similar recent events in nearby Leeds and Bradford. It celebrated ‘Wakefield’s Year of Progress’. This included the opening of the new Chantry Bridge. The organisers were the Chamber of Trade. They hoped it would also encourage local business.

A poster for the Wakefield Pageant with green and red design showing different styles of ships throughout history

An advert for the Pageant

Lots of schools and societies took part. There were over 2000 volunteer performers. Each played different roles from Wakefield's proud history. They also helped to make the costumes and backdrops.

Thousands of people came to watch the 10 performances. The purpose-built grandstand could hold 8000 people. Estimates put the total audience between 100,000 and 150,000. This included thousands of free tickets for children and unemployed people.

A large crowd of costumed performers performing a scene from the Nativity in front of large sets made to look like buildings in Wakefield

Photograph courtesy of the Wakefield Express.

The pageant was seen as a huge success. The organisers added three extra dates than planned due to popular demand. It raised about £1400 for local hospitals and charities, including the Cathedral restoration fund.

A long 'ballet train' of costumed performers standing four to a line, stretching into the distance, mimicking a train

Girls from Thornes House Secondary School and Ings Road Central School acting as a 'ballet' steam train. Photograph courtesy of the Wakefield Express.

Find out more about the Wakefield Pageant with objects and stories from our collection. Enjoy recordings of spoken word performances by the Wakefield Word with Black Horse Poets writers' group.

Find out more

Front cover of a booklet, one side with a Town Crier and crests of Wakefield and West Riding, and the other side reading The Wakefield Express Newspaper Series Pageant Souvenir

Wakefield Pageant souvenir booklet, Wakefield Express, 1933

This special publication reported on all the exciting events taking place in Wakefield Pageant week.
A detailed postcard featuring an illustration of a woman in a costume designed to reflect Wakefield's history and culture, with three characters representing different industries carrying her train

Spirit of Wakefield costume design, 1933

The Spirit of Wakefield represented the culture and history of Wakefield. This key character set the scene at the start of the Wakefield Pageant.
An intricate green Elizabethan formal dress with large frame underneath to create an exaggerated silhouette

Elizabethan Lady in Waiting costume, 1933

This elaborate costume was used in the Elizabethan section of the Wakefield Pageant.
An A4 sized certificate recognising participation in the Wakefield Pageant, main certificate is mass printed but the name Gladys Barlow has been handwritten

Wakefield Pageant certificate, 1933

Find out about the thousands of Wakefield Pageant volunteers. They each received one of these certificates.
Four pageant performers dressed in different costumes, one as a Greek god, one as a knight in shining armour, one as a medieval page boy, and one as an ancient Roman soldier

Wakefield Word: Performance and Pageantry

Find out how writers from Wakefield Word responded to the story of the Wakefield Pageant in 2024. Enjoy fantastic original prose and poetry.

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