History of Barnaby

There has been a Barnaby Fair since the 13th century, when Macclesfield was granted a Borough Charter. Since then, the annual celebration has changed in line with the town’s own fortunes, featuring festivals and fairs, parades, circuses, carnivals, feast days, seaside excursions and mill and school shut-downs.

In recent years, this great local tradition had all but died out. But in 2009, a group of like-minded folk came together to generate a vision for a festival of arts, culture and fun, rooted in Macclesfield’s history. In June 2010, this vision was realised: Barnaby was reborn and hailed as a huge success. The Festival gained momentum the following year, growing by 50%, and this year promises to be even bigger with over 100 events in around 50 venues over four days.

The festival, which is not-for-profit and delivered by an army of 200 volunteers, has made an extraordinary social, cultural and economic impact on Macclesfield. Its legacy includes numerous creative initiatives such as Macc’s flourishing Treacle Market, its first ever opera company, Silk Opera and Make it Macclesfield, the town’s economic forum and ‘Town Team’.

Read more about Barnaby’s legacy in the Barnaby 2011 Evaluation Report here.