Celebrating Creativity at Wellington College Summer Festival

Following the success of last year’s Fayre, Wellington College International Shanghai was proud to hold its second Summer Festival on Saturday 28th May. Led by a committee comprising Friends of Wellington (FOW) and staff, this year’s Summer Festival was an amazing opportunity for the Wellington community to celebrate its pupils’ creativity and to share the Wellington spirit in a relaxing environment.

A little rain did not dampen the passion for hundreds of Wellington parents and friends. In the Activity Zone, children enjoyed a wide variety of games and activities offered by Pre-Prep and Prep school teachers, parents and vendors. The Sports Zone with its traditional bouncy castles, obstacle course and basketball hoops was one of the most popular place for kids to play with their friends. A selection of international food was offered in the college dining hall, where people enjoyed the delicious food while being entertained by fabulous stage performances given by Wellington music ensembles, groups and bands. In the Arts Zone, children could try screen printing, bamboo handcraft and drawing and discover a collection of artworks from Wellington pupils showcasing the achievements of Wellington’s arts programme.

At the end of the day, the Festival culminated in the charity raffle draw, which collected over 35,000 RMB to support the Friends of Wellington's chosen charity, Mifan Mama. This achievement together with other funds raised on the day, means that the Friends of Wellington will be donating a 40,000 RMB cheque. The Festival aims to bring closer the members of the Wellington community, but also to enrich the relationship between Wellington and the broader Shanghai community.

Heather Salmon, Chair of Friends of Wellington said, ‘this year we wanted to celebrate the strong creative talent of Wellington pupils in art, dance, music and culture, and hence the theme of creativity. We also wanted to incorporate highlights of last year’s event, but fuse them with a festival spirit, and demonstrate our strong talents in the arts, music and performing arts.’

Gerard MacMahon, Master of the College, said “This was my first summer festival at Wellington and I was amazed by the turnout of pupils, parents, staff and friends.  Despite the poor weather, we had a vibrant, busy, exciting day.  Taking some events indoors, like the music, song and dance performances, which took place on a stage in our dining hall, probably enhanced them.  The day was a great showcase for the cultural and creative talents at Wellington, as well as a celebration of our rapidly growing community.  The decision of the Friends of Wellington to go ahead and make the very best of the day, despite the weather, was inspired and inspiring.”

In the end, the college would like to give a big thank you to everyone who contributed to making this extraordinary event happen at Wellington.

Thank you to our generous sponsors: