On March 17th, the official Strathaven Gala Day team announced that, due to Corona Virus, the 2020 Strathaven Gala Festival would not be going ahead. As one of Lanarkshire’s most anticipated days out, our wonderful annual festival is a date that nobody would have appreciated scrubbing off this year’s calendar! However, all is not lost! Grab your glitter, dust off your dress-up box, and get ready to plan your very own gala day from home with these crafty party ideas …
Earn the self-proclaimed title of ‘Best Decorated House’
Just because the 2020 official awards are cancelled, doesn’t mean you can’t carry on decorating the house like they’re not! We recommend choosing a theme and getting everyone in the household to contribute to making your home the most colourful on the street. Some of our favourite theme ideas include:
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- Pirates – they’ve been a real hit with past gala days.
- Rainbows – a little nod of appreciation to the great work of the NHS teams.
- Emojis – simple and easy to replicate.
- Superheroes – because we all need them right now!
Choose your household Gala Queen
Would it really be a gala day if you didn’t crown a Queen (or two?). This is an opportunity for the family to get crafty and create their own sparkling crowns and noble ensembles. Take the pressure out of choosing the royal roles by drawing names from a hat, allocating titles for everyone: the Queen, the Chief Guard, the Jester? With sibling tempers at their height during lockdown, it might be worth having a spare crown to hand – just in case!
Host a fancy-dress competition with your neighbours or friends
Take your gala day global (or down the street) by hosting an online fancy-dress competition. The challenge could be anything from a simple photo sharing presentation, to a more adventurous Zoom catwalk extravaganza. Divide the contest into categories to encourage everyone for their efforts and be sure to pick-up some prizes for when lockdown is over.
Become the Quiz Master of a Strathaven themed quiz
The online quiz is the 2020 equivalent of a wild night on the town. Put everyone’s Strathaven and Lanarkshire knowledge to the test by creating your own ‘pub-quiz’ – extra points to those who host theirs in the proper Quiz Master attire. To help get you started, take a look at the family-friendly quiz that we created in April:
Planning to host your own Strathaven Gala Day from home? We’d love to share your photographs! Make sure you tag us on your social media accounts.