The Hatchling in Wakefield City Centre and Pugneys Country Park

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor

Visit now

The Hatchling

23-25 August 2024
Date
Time
Session Features
23 Aug 2024
10:30 am-7:30 pm
24 Aug 2024
10:30 am-7:30 pm
25 Aug 2024
3:00 pm-10:00 pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

The Hatchling
© Dom Moore
Book now

Something otherworldly is about to appear in Wakefield this summer… The Hatchling is a one-of-a-kind outdoor theatre performance which takes place over an entire weekend before the grand finale on Sunday night. It tells the story of a dragon that hatches from an egg, grows up, roams the city on a journey of discovery before eventually taking flight. 

Visitors can join the dragon on her adventure, accompanied by a series of events and performances taking place across the city, prepared especially for The Hatchling’s visit. On Friday, she will hatch at Wakefield Cathedral before taking a look around throughout Friday and Saturday. The finale will take place on Sunday evening at Pugneys Country Park, but not before a whole afternoon of celebrations and activities surrounding the event. Over 20 community groups and 300 participants from across the Wakefield district are taking part in the festivities, including sports clubs, choirs and performers.

The Hatchling
© Dom Moore

If this sounds like a street performance that could easily be missed, did we mention that the fully grown dragon is the size of a bus? In fact, The Hatchling has a wingspan of over 20 metres and is the world’s largest human-operated puppet to fly. 

The structure of the creature is a spectacular feat of engineering, resulting from multiple collaborations between different disciplines. Devised by the award-winning creative team at Trigger, the puppet was designed with the help of a palaeontologist and is based on the anatomy of actual dinosaurs and reptiles. Experts in puppetry, kite-flying, set design, hot air balloons, production management, animation and even a ferry company have all been consulted for the project.

The Hatchling
© Dom Moore

The story behind the performance is of key significance too: it is no accident that the creature of the dragon was chosen to symbolise migration, otherness and freedom of movement. Folktales and legends across the globe tell stories of dragons, which are often to be feared in the West, and met with adoration and reverence in the East. The Hatchling’s visit is a story about finding your place in the world and, ultimately, enjoying freedom. 

The Hatchling had its World Premiere in Plymouth in 2021, joined in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 and will now visit Wakefield as part of the Our Year – Wakefield District 2024 collaboration. Don’t miss this truly spectacular event!

Where to go near The Hatchling in Wakefield City Centre and Pugneys Country Park

The Warehouse In Holbeck
Leeds
Event venue
The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

Leeds
Event venue
The Attic

Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

The Chevin is a great place for visitors to do lots of different activities and is open all year round with 5 free car parks. To help you find out whatís best for you we have divided this section up into some of these different activities.Please be aware that The Chevin is a working estate so you may see vehicles including timber-extraction lorries using some of the tracks.Self-guided WalksThe Chevin is a big place and there is a good network of paths to make your own circular walk, but if you want to follow a themed trail there is a Geology Trail, Heritage Time Trail and a route for Tree Spotters.Bikes & HorsesThere is an extensive bridleway network on the eastern parts of The Chevin that caters for a range of abilities.Orienteering and GeocachingTwo orienteering courses and a number of geocache sites are waiting to be discovered.Climbing & BoulderingThere are many fantastic crags for climbing and boulders for bouldering.Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs
Leeds
Restaurant
Oporto

For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

Manchester
Gallery
Black Redstart Gallery

Black Redstart Gallery is located in the Northern Quarter and runs a busy programme of exhibitions from emerging and established artists.

RJC Dance Xmas Show
Leeds
RJC Dance

RJC Dance, based in Chapeltown, Leeds, champions youth and education, leading inclusive Black dance in the North through national partnerships.

Manchester
Gallery
texture mcr

Possibly one of the city’s most mysterious art galleries, texture is a small and perfectly-formed independent space in Ardwick.

The Beacon at Cliffe Castle Park
Bradford
Park
Cliffe Castle Park

Cliffe Castle Park hosts the Beacon, a stunning performance space that will be touring the district throughout Bradford UK City of Culture 2025.

What's on: Families

Africana and Caribbean Food Fest
FestivalsLeeds
African & Caribbean Food Fest 2025

Calling people of Leeds and beyond! The city’s favourite African and Caribbean Food Fest is back, and this year it’s turning up the heat with Harmony of Colours, a celebration…

Free entry

Culture Guides

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Sprints
Music in the North

10 fresh shows across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, threading together noise, ritual, euphoria and release in all their messy, beautiful forms.

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.