LITERARY fantasy characters and mediaeval minstrels will brighten up Priory Park for Malvern Fringe’s annual May Day event on Saturday, May 1.

The celebration regularly draws hundreds of families into the heart of Great Malvern for music, dancing, performance and a parade along Church Street.

Malvern Community Forest, which is striving to establish a woodland, will embody this year’s theme of Forests and Fantasy. The group, which soon hopes to obtain charitable status, will create its own magical forest in Priory Park by taking along 300 saplings.

It hopes people will buy the young trees to plant.

Characters from Alice in Wonderland, Narnia and Tolkien’s tales of the hobbits will be on hand courtesy of Malvern’s Perfect Circle Youth Theatre and there will also be stilt-walkers from Bristol’s Curious Company creating a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Other attractions include the parade, led by a samba band, performances from Nonimus Minstrels, playing traditional mediaeval and renaissance music, a circus skills workshop, flamenco dancing, story telling, face painting and a drumming workshop.

Bands including Zebedy Rays, Ancient Addicts, Further Out Jazz and Ragtime Ewan will all be performing on the park’s bandstand throughout the day.

There will be the chance to see wood carving and visit the Fold Eco Cafe’s food marquee. The fun starts at 11am.