With only a week to go until Warrington hosts the Stage 5 finish of the Tour of Britain on 9 September, a packed schedule of events and activities for the Tour Village at Bank Park has been announced.
The council has teamed up with both the Tour of Britain organisers and local events company Runthrough to create the Tour Village, which promises to be a sporting and cultural extravaganza for people of all ages. It will be the ideal place for people to enjoy the day, with plenty of activities on offer and the opportunity to watch the Stage finish unfold, as excitement will build for the sprint to the finish line in front of the iconic Golden Gates.
With something for everyone at the Tour Village, people will be able to soak up the atmosphere and excitement of the day by heading down to Bank Park, where the showpiece Stage 5 finish will end.
Activities and showcases at Bank Park will include stalls and special displays, food and drink, circus performers, exhibits from race partners and a bike museum.
Spectators can also enjoy all of the action from Stage 5 of the race by watching a giant screen which will be set up at the Tour Village. With the first traditional sprint finish of the Tour finishing right outside the Golden Gates, spectators can look forward to some excitement from big names including the greatest sprinter of all time Mark Cavendish, supported by team-mate and reigning UCI road world champion Julian Alaphilippe.
It all gets underway at 11am until 4.00pm.
Stall holders on the day include:
- Ron Spencer Cycles
- RunThrough
- British Cycling
- Tarmac
- British Cycling
- North Cheshire Clarion
- SIPs mobile bar
- The Little Green Juice Box
- Penguin Cakes
- Hyacinth Vintage Ice Cream
- The inclusive cycling network, Wheels For All, with adapted bikes and support to get people cycling, whatever their needs
- Warrington Disability Partnership
- Directions For Men cycling support group
- Livewire and Culture Warrington, who will be hosting a range of games and activities
- Warrington Cycle Museum
- Cheshire Cycles, Dr Bike Shop
- Active Cheshire and Bikeright, with a smoothie bike machine and kids obstacle course
- Torus Housing
- Tika Tonga
- Jubel
The Tour Village will also have a set of showcases, including:
- Mountain bike show displays at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm
- Circus performers at 1pm and 2pm
- The Rugby League World Cup trophies
Our key sponsors include:
- Ron Spencer Cycles
- Tarmac
- Runthrough
- Gridserve
Cllr Russ Bowden, Leader of the Council said: “With a week to go until Warrington hosts the Stage 5 finish, I think it’s fair to say that excitement is certainly building. It promises to be an unforgettable day and the Tour Village is the perfect way to welcome visitors from across the borough and beyond for what I know will be a massive celebration.
“The atmosphere will be electric, and alongside watching the race, there is also a range of superb activities for everyone to enjoy at the Tour Village as we come together in anticipation for the cyclists arriving at the Golden Gates.
“We are very proud to be bringing the race finish to Warrington and we want to make it a very special occasion. Please show your support by heading down to the Tour Village any time between 11am-4.00pm, and joining us in giving the cyclists a very warm Warrington welcome.”
Make a day of it
Local businesses are getting in the Tour spirit with a range of special offers for spectators.
Alongside the Tour Village, residents and visitors will also get the chance to browse Golden Square shopping centre, Time Square – the leisure and hospitality quarter of the town centre – and catch their breath in the cultural quarter which features bars, restaurants, Queen’s Gardens and the Pyramid Arts Centre and Parr Hall.
There are a variety of Tour of Britain food and drink offers available to people wanting to make a day of it. The full list of offers is available at: wearewarringtonbid.co.uk/the-tour-of-britain-offers
There will also be some exciting circus workshops at Time Square from 3pm – 6pm, as part of the cultural extravaganza – the ‘Welcome Back Festival’. You can just drop in – no booking required – and it’s free of charge. Children and adults will be able to learn circus skills such as juggling, hula hooping and aerial skills on the pop-up aerial rig, all overseen by skilled, experienced instructors. From 6pm-6.20pm, when the circus workshops finish, the troupe will perform a 30 minute show, demonstrating their own skills, which will include fire throwing!
For more information about the Tour of Britain, and to help plan your day, visit warrington.gov.uk/ToB
