Belbroughton Scarecrow Festival FAQs

1 When will the Scarecrow Festival take place?
Traditionally Belbroughton has held the event on a weekend towards the end of September and this year it will take place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th September 2023

2 What are the opening times?
The event opens at 10am and will close at 5pm on both days. The local pubs are likely to have entertainment on well into the evening.

3 Is there a theme for the Scarecrows?
Yes,this year the theme for 2023 is Kings and Queens and Everything between. Look out for the notorious wit and creativity of the Scarecrow builders.

4 What can I expect to see?
Take a look at our "Map" page to find out exactly what's on this year or take a look at our Facebook page for up to the minute updates.- Facebook

5 Can I get food and drink there?
Yes, there will be plenty of stalls and traders all around the village for you to buy food and drinks from. The map will give you more information about this year's locations.

6 Do I have to pay to visit?
Admission will be £20 per vehicle. This covers both safe and secure parking and entrance festival events.

7 What are the traffic management arrangements and parking restrictions?
To ensure the safety of all our visitors we enforce road closures throughout the village for the weekend. These are in place from 10am to 5pm.

We employ a traffic management company to help enforce these road closures and to get you parked as quickly as possible. For your safety and convenience the areas with "no parking cones" have a legally enforceable parking suspension. Offending vehicles will be issued with a fixed penalty notice and if the vehicle is deemed to be causing an obstruction it may be towed.

8 Can I bring my pet dog?
Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome.

9 Which part of the village is involved in the Festival?
All of it! Ours is a vibrant and bustling village with a number of pubs and independent businesses all of whom are welcome to be involved and typically do. Check out the Social Media and websites of the local pubs to find out exactly what they have planned for the weekend.

The Official Belbroughton Scarecrow Committee that organises the Scarecrow Festival only arranges the events inside the event areas on the map. If you are unfortunate enough to have cause for concern with anything outside these areas, please take it up directly with the trader concerned.

10 Why do you charge for parking/entrance?
The event is entirely a charity fundraiser run by volunteers. Whilst we want to put on an excellent day out, our priority is to raise money for charities and good causes. To host the event each year there are fixed costs of around £25,000 that have to be covered (even if it rains!) so without charging for parking it would just not be possible to put on an event.

11 Who benefits from the monies raised each year?
A huge number of charities and good causes benefit from the funds raised as well as those registered charities who we give free stall places to so they can raise funds and awareness over the weekend. Every year we publish the beneficiaries on our Facebook page shortly after the event. In 2019 we donated to the following:

Belbroughton Primary School PTA

Belbroughton Church Hall

Belbroughton Church

Recreation Centre

The Cricket Club

Air Cadets

History Society

Playground fund

Toddler Group

First Steps Nursery

12 What happens if it rains on the event weekend?
We all know just what a difference the weather can make to the Scarecrow Festival and barring exceptionally heavy rain that could make the event hazardous, then we will be having fun no matter what the weather brings.

13 Is there a competition for the best scarecrow?
Yes. The judging takes place on Saturday afternoon and goes on late onto Saturday evening. The winner will be announced on Sunday morning.
To make sure your scarecrow is taken into account by the judges, be sure to submit your registration form on time. The registration form can be downloaded by clicking here.

14 Do I need to be from Belbroughton to enter the scarecrow competition?
No, you don't. We welcome scarecrows from outside Belbroughton but we do need the scarecrow to be displayed in the village. So if you are interested in participating, submit a registration form to us and we will be in touch with more information as to how you can join in the fun. Last year the standard out of village scarecrows was incredible, thank you and keep them coming!

15 Will there be disabled parking facilities?
Priority parking for blue badge holders is available and is detailed on the event map. Please have your blue badge clearly visible and you will be directed to parking close to the event entrances.

16 Will there be toilets and baby changing available at the event?
Yes - visitors are well catered for with toilets located across the event areas and in the car parks. The map will give you more information about this year's locations.

17 What do I do if I've lost something?
Contact the organisers via the facebook messenger page for the quickest response during the event weekend.

18 Where can I park?
Check out the map to find out exactly where the parking is for this year.

19 Can I pay with credit card?
Yes, all car parks and traders will take card but bear in mind that, with the massive number of visitors to the area, signal may be patchy.

20 Are there any cash machines?
Yes, there is a link cash point in the village shop. Check out the map for the specific location.

21 What do I do if I want to trade at the event?
Contact the facebook messenger page to find out if we have any spaces although spaces are typically filled by July.

22 Who runs the event each year?
The event is run by a Committee of volunteers who work on behalf of Belbroughton Community Interest Company (BCIC). This is a not-for-profit limited company where the directors do not receive any financial gain from the company or the event. The company structure ensures there is legal protection for all parties including the organisers.