This film is part of Free

Britannia Coconut Dancers in Bacup 1989

One of the odder English traditions - a dance around the town with the 'Nutters'.

Amateur film 1989 10 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for North West Film Archive

Overview

Supported by an enthusiastic brass band, the strangely garbed Britannia Coconut dancers perform their way around the small Lancashire town of Bacup on Easter Saturday. Curiosity, amusement, bemusement - all these can be seen on the faces of onlookers. The 'Nutters', in their striped skirts and clogs, and with blacked-up faces, must surely represent one of the most genuinely odd English traditions.