Talk & Discussion with Tim Hill – Autumn Fires – Somerset’s Rich History of Celebrations & Customs

Doors 7.00pm. Starts 7.30pm.  Adv ticket £6. Door ticket £7.

Join us at CICCIC for an evening talk, song and and music, plus an audience chat about Somerset’s rich history of celebrations and customs with Tim Hill. An evening of amazement and interest titled Autumn Fires.

Autumn Fires

Autumn is a time of feasts and fires, mischief and mayhem, one of the great celebratory times of the year. A time when we dress up, set things alight, light up the dark nights, plays tricks and games and eat rich food. In this talk and presentation Tim Hill draws on Somerset’s rich history of celebrations and customs to explore how and why we gather and delight in these special times.

Topics will range through Harvest Homes, Halloween, bonfires and fireworks, village bands, costumes, Illuminated carnival, songs and music and Punky Night. Tim will also look at the ways we celebrate; music, noise, song and dance, costumes and disguise, parades and processions, fire and illumination and food and feasts.

The talk will be illustrated with the many photos and pictures Tim has gathered over the years and will feature songs and music too. At the end of the presentation there will be a chat and a chance to share your stories too.

Tim has been making celebrations for over 20 years, He has played with samba bands around Stonehenge and on the back of trucks at Notting Hill carnival, led giants through the streets of London, created Olympic Torch events, cooked celebratory feasts, written wassail songs, and taken funeral services. He also been researching traditions of outdoor music, ritual noise, parades and processions and the ways we love to gather dance and fall over.

Tim works as musical director on outdoor shows across the UK and with the Mellstock Band he recreates the English rural music of the 18th and 19th centuries, appearing in many productions like the classic BBC Pride and Prejudice.