The grand finale of this year’s Lancashire Encounter takes place on Sunday 23 September.

The finale will see memorable outdoor performances across Preston, from Winckley Square Gardens to Avenham Park, while the Red Dream Parade will bring pride, creativity, diversity and a whole lot of red to the city’s streets.

Read more: Road closures confirmed for Lancashire Encounter Festival parade

This year the biennial festival happens on the weekend of 21/22/23 September. You can check what to see on the Friday, what to see on the Saturday, or continue reading for our guide to Sunday’s finale.

Lancashire Soundscape Soundbath

This relaxing experience will take place in one of the Harris art galleries, and be led by sound therapist and yoga teacher Emma Lowther-Wright. You’ll be provided with a blanket and lavender eye mask before you lie down on a yoga mat as Emma plays the Himalayan bowls, crystal bowls, rain sticks, chimes and percussion. Bathe in the soothing sound waves as you journey through Lancashire’s culture, landscape and history, while easing your mind and body into deep relaxation.

When: 11am and 12pm
Where: The Harris
Cost: Free, but booking is essential. Tickets via Eventbrite

Wear My Heart (Red Rose) Upon My Sleeve

Artist Joanna Neil will capture reflections on what Lancashire means to people, through conversations, drawing, object handling, social media tagging and a confessional vox pop booth. Neil will then collate a selection of these contributions and weave them into a narrative. These constructed landscapes will be presented as a series of stitched drawings by hand and machine, representing a ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ of Lancashire in 2018.

When: 11am – 3pm
Where: The Harris
Cost: Free

Twinning – Ukelele Performance

Preston Ukulele Strummers Society and Musikschule Recklinghausen will combine their musical skills for this fun and entertaining performance. Preston and Recklinghausen have been twinned for 62 years, and these two organisations will play together again after meeting in June to play for the music school’s summer party. Their collaboration will focus on themes of peace and friendship, starring the ukelele, an instrument that will be forever associated with Lancashire, thanks to George Formby.

When: 12pm – 1pm
Where: Winckley Square Gardens
Cost: Free

Red Dream Parade

Preston’s streets will be alive with Lancashire pride as part of the festival’s grand finale. More than 10 community groups have created a diverse set of acts and performances, but their red creations and costumes will all celebrate the spirit of the red rose of Lancashire. Look out for giant inflatables, walkabout seagulls and lobsters, the Stilted Cake Ladies dishing out treats and glamour, plus the UK’s top New Orleans Dixieland Jazz band, Street Seven. The dream theme will mix unexpected elements with the places of Lancashire, and the county’s past, present and future.

When: 1pm – 2.30pm
Where: The streets of Preston
Cost: Free

Read more: Preston parade route confirmed for Lancashire Encounter Festival

Sufi:Zen

This innovative outdoor performance draws upon South Asian dance disciplines including kathak, bharatanatyam, ballet, contemporary and butoh. The journey of Sufi:Zen is inspired by 13th century poet Rumi. Exploring the stillness of Zen monks and the passion of Sufi mystics, the performance will highlight the contrast between stillness and motion. Created by Akademi, directed and choreographed by Gauri Sharma Tripathi, and featuring music from Shrikanth Sriram.

When: 3pm – 3.30pm
Where: Avenham Park
Cost: Free

Hackney Colliery Band

The Hackney Colliery Band bring their unique sound to the festival’s finale, playing everything from jazz to electronica, and featuring trumpets, trombones, saxes, drummers and sousaphone. Cult stars in the music world, they have re-invented the brass band sound. The band played at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, and have appeared at the BRITs, MOBO Awards and Mercury Awards. Their visually and musically compelling stage shows are loved by audiences of all ages and musical tastes.

When: 4pm – 5.15pm
Where: Avenham Park
Cost: Free

Lionman

Created by Dapertutto, Lionman is described as a dynamic, surreal and moving piece of original physical theatre. The story follows Leonard, a young writer confined to his room trying to make his mark by writing a screenplay. Various distractions make the task harder than he expected – but are these events real, or is his anxious mind playing tricks? As Leonard struggles with love interests and work pressures, the audience will discover if he can finally express his voice in a finished script. This show was recently debuted at the Greater Manchester Fringe festival.

When: 7.30pm – 8.30pm
Where: UCLan Media Factory Main Theatre
Cost: £8 + 97p booking fee. Tickets via Eventbrite

Read more: Here’s what’s on at Lancashire Encounter on Friday and for the Saturday, and see live updates throughout the Encounter.

Will you be going to Lancashire Encounter? Let us know in the comments below.