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Railway enthusiasts and history buffs are encouraged to bring their dancing shoes to Swindon’s STEAM Museum this weekend (13 and 14 Sep) for a festival full of nostalgic fun.
The Swindon Borough Council-owned museum is holding its Golden Age Festival, a dazzling celebration of the style, music, and spirit of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
The two-day festival weekend, which is taking place from 10am until 5pm, will be a fully immersive experience for all visitors, featuring numerous dance classes, sing-alongs, a tea dance, performances, specialist traders, storytelling and object handling. There will also be exhibitions throughout the museum and a large collection of vintage and steam vehicles outside.
On Saturday there will be the chance to take part in a number of dance classes with spaces allocated on the day. These include:
- 1930s The Shim Sham - 10.30am to 11.15am
- 1950s Popular Dance Craze Routines - 11.45am to 12.30pm
- Seated vintage dance and movement for older adults and their carers – spaces for this class can be booked by emailing steamevents@swindon.gov.uk - 2.45am to 3.30pm
- 1940s Solo Swing Dance - 4pm to 4.45pm
On Sunday morning the Mary Lou Revue will be leading a sing along to amazing songs from the era. There are two sessions, 10.30am to 11am, and 11.30am to 12noon.
Later that afternoon, there is an amazing chance to join the Mary Lou Revue in a tea dance. After watching a wonderful dance performance, visitors will be able to dance the afternoon away while enjoying a complementary cup of tea.
Caerphilly Castle Hall will be a hive of activity during the weekend with numerous stalls and performers taking to the stage.
For history fans, there is the opportunity to visit the reconstruction of a Second World War air raid shelter and experience at first hand the conditions during the Blitz. The exhibition will show how people passed the time and kept their morale high. Places are limited but visitors can sign up on the day.
There is also the chance to explore life on the Home Front through everyday objects, finding out what children played with, what they had to eat and how they were encouraged to support the war effort. Visitors can make and play some of the vintage games of the time.
Throughout the weekend, stories inspired by Great Western Railway will take place in the Storytime Zone.
And if that’s not enough nostalgia, there is a chance to see an amazing selection of GWR and British Railway’s uniforms and caps from STEAM’s large costume collection alongside material on loan from the collections of Museum & Art Swindon. Staff uniforms on display will include a GWR Station Master’s uniform, a British Railway’s Fire Brigade jacket and a rare GWR refreshment department female overall.
Multaka Swindon will provide a walking tour of the route that the King of Afghanistan took through Swindon Works on 21 March 1928. What did King Amanullah see during his visit and how did he arrive in Swindon?
Outside the museum there will be a large display of vintage and steam vehicles, including tractors from 1947 and 1954, a 1944 Merryweather Steam fire pump that was used to extinguish incendiary bombs during the Second World War, an extremely rare 1926 Eccles box van all made in wood, road steam engines, while cars include a 1954 Rolls Royce and a 1937 Vauxhall Tourer.
Additionally, the famous Swindon Works Hooter will once again sound out across the town for the weekend.
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning, said: “I am so looking forward to this weekend’s Golden Age Festival. It’s really unique and will be one of the most exciting events we've ever had at STEAM.
“The dance classes are going to be so much fun, especially the seated vintage dance and movement, and there is so much more going on throughout the weekend for the whole family.
“If you want to get a sense for what life was like for ordinary people in the mid-20th Century and during WWII, then head down to STEAM. This will be a truly wonderful two-day festival.”
For more information and to book tickets visit the STEAM website: www.steam-museum.org.uk/event/steams-golden-age-festival/
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