Morris dancers mark Shoreham May Day celebrations

A man looks at the camera and smiles. He is wearing a Morris outfit including red and yellow silk ribbons and is holding a large wooden horse head also adorned with bells and flowers.George Carden/BBC

Martin Frost was out early to welcome in the summer with other dancers

Josh McLaughlin
BBC News, South East

Traditional folk dancing, singing and music is taking place on the streets of Shoreham to celebrate May Day.

The Sompting Village Morris group began their May Day activities from Coronation Green at 07:00 BST.

As a celebration marking the first day of summer, May Day's traditions are rooted in pagan festivals.

The Morris dancing group will parade to the Shoreham War Memorial to crown their annual May Queen.

A group of Morris dancers seen in their outfits of white shirts and black trousers with yellow and red ribbons and bells on their legs. In the foreground is a man seen from the side holding an accordion.George Carden/BBC

The dancers were out to celebrate May Day

Started in 1978, Sompting Village Morris says its aim is to uphold the tradition of English street folk dance.

Martin Frost, a dancer with the side, told BBC Radio Sussex: "We're down here to celebrate a tradition that's been going on for centuries, where we welcome in the summer with bells, a bit of dancing, lots of music and a few pints."

Morris dancers in the traditional dress of white shirts and black trousers with red and yellow ribbons dance in formation opposite each other and hold their sticks in the air. Behind them is another Morris group and the sky above is blue.George Carden/BBC

Sompting Village Morris says its aim is to uphold the tradition of English street folk dance

He said they had been celebrating May Day in Shoreham for over a decade.

"I like to think that Morris dancing is an older version of younger people's street dance," he told BBC South East.

"We do it in the streets. We don't do it professionally. We do it just for fun."

What is Morris dancing?

As a form of traditional English folk dance, the dance takes on a variety of styles depending on where the group has come from.

Sompting Village Morris says they are a joint team, with men and women performing separate dances at the same event.

In 2023, the dance became a tradition which saw men no longer make up the majority of participants for - the first time in UK history.

A hurdy-gurdy is being held while a man lifts open the instruments inner crank. It appears to be made of wood, with ornate details decorating its exterior. It is a mixture of red and brown in colour with lighter, yellow strings.Chris Arundel / BBC

An opened hurdy-gurdy, an instrument played by cranking a wheel which plays the strings like a violin bow, sometimes featured in traditional folk music

Mr Frost said Morris dancing is eccentric and quintessentially English.

"You look at it and think it's a very odd thing to do," he said.

"These lads all dress up a bit strange. They're using sticks and hankies, jangling with bells. But why not?"

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