16 foot spider set to stalk Southport this Halloween!

A giant 16-foot spider is set to spark thrills and fear amongst Southport shoppers this Halloween as it meanders through the streets looking for a playmate.

An impressive lifelike creation, the spider wanders the streets looking for prey, or anyone brave enough to say hello. The puppet has toured the world, making friends across America, Asia and Europe.

This unique puppet combines a giant inflatable skin with a complex cable skeleton which controls eight independently articulated legs. The mechanism enables precise, lifelike movements controlled by a single puppeteer. Crowds will both be terrified and enchanted by the puppet as it navigates its way amongst the crowds looking for dinner!

The spider, aka Arachobot, will make its appearance during Southport’s annual Halloween festival, put on by Southport BID. 2017’s festival will be made up of a series of great events within the town centre all set to thrill and spook Halloween fans of every age – including a grand central marquee packed with four days of mischievous family fun.

The festival has attracted thousands of visitors in the past and has gathered a huge following on Facebook, with Halloween fans from around the region and beyond. The festival aims to bring great fun and entertainment to the town centre during the Autumn half term. The line-up for this year is looking exciting, with acts for every age – most of which are free and will feature a series of events and performers in and around the town centre and venues.

The festival will kick off with a two-day Indie Horror film festival at The Atkinson – put together with local award-winning filmmakers – and continues throughout the week.

Hugh Evans of Southport BID says of the festival “We are really excited for this year’s festival. It was time for a change and so we took on board feedback and have tried to create a real festival feel event with things to see and do all week and throughout the town centre. We are particularly excited about securing the Arachnobot – it has appeared in cities and festivals around the world and we think it will be a really thrilling, fun family spectacle that will get people talking!”

Head to spookysouthport.com to hunt down the different events or follow Southport Halloween Festival on Facebook for loads of updates.