The Fezz-tival At Dawlish Warren

The Fezz-tival is an exciting new family event at Dawlish Warren, all about clowning and slapstick - featuring FREE performances and workshops from 11AM – 5PM on the first weekend in July 2009.

Why a “Fezz-tival”? Well, in the 1950s, a young man called Tommy Cooper sold ice creams along the Warren and we are celebrating his unique place as one of Britain’s best-loved clowns.This is a fantastic opportunity to laugh at some of the very best entertainers for children as they perform on the Warren green.

There will be free workshops run by the performers during the day on circus skills, comic routines and puppetry,” says organiser Tony Lidington of Dawlish.  He added “This is an exciting new initiative, backed by Dawlish Warren Tourism group, which we hope will quickly become a feature of our new-look summer season.

Don’t forget the beer festival will take place at The Boathouse on the same days (4th & 5th July), and once the family fun has ended on Saturday, the best local bands and singers will perform as you sample a range of locally brewed real ales.  With a traditional Hog Roast on Sunday what better way could there be to spend a summer weekend.

Check out the picture gallery here

To get you in the mood for a great couple of days on the Warren, courtesy of the Tommy Cooper Society, here are some of the classic one liners that made Tommy Cooper great…

 "Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off."

 "A blind bloke walks into a shop with a guide dog. He picks the Dog up and starts swinging it around his head. Alarmed, a shop assistant calls out: 'Can I help, sir?' 'No thanks,' says the blind bloke. 'Just looking.'"

 "He said 'I'm going to chop off the bottom of one of your trouser legs and put it in a library. I thought, "That's a turn-up for the books."

 "And the back of his anorak was leaping up and down, and people were chucking money to him. I said 'Do you earn a living doing that?' He said 'Yes, this my livelihood.'"

 "So I was getting into my car, and this bloke says to me "Can you give me a lift?" I said "Sure, you look great, the world's your oyster, go for it.'"

 "You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.'"

 "So I went to the dentist. He said "Say Aaah." I said "Why?" He said "My dog's died.'"

 "So I rang up a local building firm, I said 'I want a skip outside my house.' He said 'I'm not stopping you.'"