May Day

At dawn tomorrow, the Southport Swords will dance in the Town Gardens in front of the Southport Arts Centre to welcome the 1st of May.  This will be at 5.00 a.m. They will adjourn to the Baron's Bar in the Scarisbrick Hotel across the road for bacon butties and the annual May beer festival, which officially opens at 6.oo a.m. It's a strange experience drinking at that hour, and then after a few pints walking in the streets among the early morning shoppers and people going to work.

The bar is surprisingly busy at that time in the morning with early drinkers (I do wonder whether some have simply been there all night), and the Swords usually dance again indoors. The picture shows the Swords raising the maypole at dawn last year. I've no idea who the fellow with the rucksack is.

The beer festival continues with more conventional timings until 16th May. I was going to put in a link to the Baron's Bar, but the festival page on their website is 12 months out of date; I must mention that to them. But the festival is always worth a visit or two.