Get all “Dahl-ed up” for the Dahl-Character Sidewalk Parade which will get under way at 10AM (sign-in at 9:45 AM please!) when it departs from the Newburyport Public Library on State Street (corner of Harris St. in Newburyport). Firehouse Center for the Arts staff and volunteers will be on hand to escort the children of all ages as they march along the State Street sidewalk and make their way through Inn Street to the Firehouse. Parents will be lined up behind the children and are welcome (encouraged?!) to dress up too! The Zach Field Drum Studios will be forming a drum line to escort the parade to the Firehouse.

This event is part of the month-long, city-wide Roald Dahl Festival which has been developed through the collaborative efforts of the Firehouse Center for the Arts, Acting Out! Studios, and Duck Soupe Troupe.

Prizes for costumes will be handed out at the Parade’s conclusion in Waterfront Park behind the Firehouse Center for the Arts. Categories for the judging will include:

Baby Dahl - cutest little person
Fantastic Foxiest Fabrication - most creative
Show Fly - best insect costume
Peachiest - most colorful costume
"You Look Mahvelous Dahl-ing" - most glamorous
Witch Mouse? Judges Choice - best "Witches" costume

Never read a Roald Dahl story before? Not sure who you should dress up as? This Festival represents a wonderful opportunity to share the joy of reading with your child and to engage in some creative costuming together. Visit your local library or your bookstore to introduce you and your family to the imaginative world of children’s literature and the assortment of characters that Roald Dahl created in favorite stories such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Magic Finger, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, The Witches, The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) and others.

Then let your creative juices flow as you bring new-found friends to life for the Newburyport Roald Dahl Character Parade. Hurry – there’s only a few weeks left to let your green crystals work their magic and turn you into a living Dahl.

All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by a parent or adult.