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Thousands of people attending Northwich’s annual Pi\u00f1a Colada festival enjoyed an extra special surprise – with the man who inspired the tropical event making an appearance on stage to a rapturous reception.<\/p>\n
Rupert Holmes, the singer and songwriter behind the iconic 1979 hit Escape (The Pi\u00f1a Colada Song), delighted festivalgoers during Saturday\u2019s celebrations in the Cheshire town.<\/p>\n
Rupert, who was born in Northwich in 1947 and moved with his family to the US when he was six-years-old, has achieved huge success on Broadway as a singer, writer, and composer.<\/p>\n
The appearance in Northwich on Saturday (22 August) was a huge moment for the festival, which was inspired by Rupert and his best-known song.<\/p>\n
Rupert said: “I don’t fool myself. This festival is not about Rupert Holmes or the Pi\u00f1a Colada song as such. <\/p>\n
“It’s about what someone has come up with to try to raise the spirits of the town after a series of disastrous floods and fires. <\/p>\n
“And basically, I view it as Northwich was handed a bag of lemons, and they made Pi\u00f1a Colada.”<\/p>\n
Rupert on stage at Northwich’s Pi\u00f1a Colada Festival<\/p>\n
Rupert added: “To sing this song in the town of my birth is something akin to one of the eight wonders of the world. <\/p>\n
“How many people get to have this kind of an incredible sense of completion in their life? I’m overwhelmed. “<\/p>\n
Now in its sixth year, the Pi\u00f1a Colada festival attracts around 30,000 people for the free, family-friendly event, which transforms the town centre into a tropical party with live music, colourful carnival parades, street performers, food and drink and a pop-up beach.<\/p>\n
The main stage at Apple Market Place hosted live performances throughout the afternoon, while the town\u2019s streets were filled with carnival dancers, butterflies, exotic birds and the festival\u2019s mascot Mr Colada.<\/p>\n
The festival\u2019s origins date back to 2021, when a social media post highlighted the unlikely connection between Northwich and Holmes, whose song became a worldwide hit.<\/p>\n
The idea quickly went viral and the first Pi\u00f1a Colada Festival was launched later that year.<\/p>\n
The Pi\u00f1a Colada Festival has been going for six years.<\/p>\n
It has since become one of Northwich\u2019s most distinctive annual events, with local businesses joining in by offering tropical-themed food, drinks and entertainment.<\/p>\n
The festival was organised and funded by Northwich BID, with support from Northwich Town Council. And Holmes\u2019 surprise appearance provided a memorable finale to the celebrations.<\/p>\n
Ellis Wardle from Northwich BID said: “Everybody gets dressed up, and for the last five or six years, it’s just grown and grown. I mean, it’s the biggest day of the year.”<\/p>\n