Sleeping Monkey

Sleeping Monkey Presents...

Party in the Square

This weekend has been manic, so busy. I was up at half 7 on Saturday morning to be in the square for 8 where we were to be setting up the stage and everything ready for the event. The stage was really interesting to set up – it basically folds out of the side of a lorry, supported by huge (incredibly heavy) steel supports. The lighting rig above it was easier to set up, being made of aluminium it was really light and just clipped together like a giant Mechano set or something. We erected barriers around a big area in the square to give a ‘safe working environment’, and the put everything together. Once up, it looked like this:

Us Stewards were given flurescent jackets and spent the day either patroling the area, talking to drunk people or stood protecting the stage. It was good fun, and it’s cool to have a sense of importance!! There were no issues at all on Saturday, and though the sun barely made an appearance at least it didn’t rain. Unlike Sunday, but I’ll get to that later.

Afterwards I went over to Dan’s where we stayed until it was time for our night shift! We wandered down to the stage at midnight and took over from the guys there, staying there until 4 in the morning. By the time we left, the sky was a dark blue rather than black… I got to sleep around half 4 and was up again at half 8.

Arrived at the square 9 on Sunday morning, and joined James and Ashley on a trip to McDonald’s to get breakfast for a few people. We ended up stopping at Subway too, I got to sleep around half 4 and was up again at half 8and I had a bacon roll from McDonald’s, which paled in comparison to the sausage and egg sub I had from Subway as well…

We got the stage back to working order (ie set up the PA system and speakers again) and then Church kicked off at 11. Unfortunately it was tipping it down with rain and incredibly cold, so after the ‘service’ Gareth Benton (the church pastor) made the executive decision to pack everything away. So everyone who wasn’t part of it went home, and we all took down the gazebos and stuff, and then helped with the stage. We got it all down in an hour, which was apparently the quickest it has ever been packed away! When that was done, we could trudge home to a nice warm shower and change of clothes!

So long weekend, but at least I could sleep until 2 today.