Joint Morris Organisations’ Day of Dance 2025 (Stockport)
The JMO National Day of Dance is a collaborative event organised in turn by one of the three morris organisations in the UK – The Morris Federation, The Morris Ring, and Open Morris. The day of dance is a celebration of morris and traditional dancing held annually at a different location around the UK.
In 2025 the day of dance is on Saturday 26th April 2025 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, hosted by Adlington Morris Men on behalf of the Morris Ring.
Bookings closed on 12th January; contact the organisers in case there are spare places.
Adlington Morris Men sent us the following details:
Adlington Morris Men are already hard at work organising what’s promising to be the biggest and best JMO yet. The local council, shops and businesses are all pulling together to organise a full day and evening of events, and your side is invited to be part of it!
From Morris-themed family craft activities to folky fringe events, the whole of the town centre will be filled with the sound of bells throughout the day, before giving way to an absolutely free ceilidh afterparty with live band, pop-up craft beer bar and street food stalls – with ticket priority given to you!
We’re handily located on major railway routes and three motorways, so getting here couldn’t be easier.
Parking
Central Stockport has ample parking for cars, but all of these are at a cost. Alternatively, a free Park and Ride car park (without height restrictions) can be found in Hazel Grove, a 15 minute £2 bus ride from the town centre.
Accommodation
- Indoor camping is in the rather plush 1st Bramhall Scout HQ, charging just enough to cover our costs. It’s warm and has a shower, is right by Bramhall station (10 minutes from Stockport) and has free parking. Let us know if your side might like a space or six.
- Happy Valley Campers have agreed to host any tents and motorhomes you might like to bring, and are an easy ten minute bus ride from central Stockport. It’s a turn-up-and-pay affair at £10 pppn.
- If any of your side would like to stay at the Holiday Inn Express at the discounted B&B rate of £129 per room per night (a saving of £25 off the usual), this needs to booked directly. Call the hotel on 0161 359 6363 and ask to speak to Hannah Marshall before the end of December to secure your room.
Assembly and Sign-in
Please ensure a member of your side signs in at the Welcome Desk in Viaduct park between 9.30 and 10.00 and receives your Welcome Pack, and ensure that your side is all present and correct by 10.00. After a welcome at 10:15 from your hosts, Adlington Morris Men, the Morris Ring, and (if she is able to attend) the Mayor of Stockport, please then assemble your side at your allocated position, referring to the signage around the park, ready for the short parade through Merseyway (one of Stockport’s main thoroughfares) and up to the Marketplace (including a short but fairly steep hill, but with lift access available. From there, sides will disperse to their first performance locations of the day.
Beer
We’re working with The Baker’s Vaults, an historic pub in Stockport, to put a special JMO DoD beer on tap. The trouble is that it doesn’t have a name yet – answers on a postcard/email.
Lunchtime music session
At lunch, 13:00-15:00, we’ll be organising a lunchtime music session in case you really haven’t heard enough tunes already.
Evening Ceilidh – free
In the evening, there will be a totally free ceilidh in the historic St Mary’s Church overlooking Stockport marketplace; the band and caller are booked, as is the bar, so all we need is you! Doors open 19:00, ceilidh 19:30-22:45. Attendance at the ceilidh is free but, in order to manage numbers, places must be booked. Details of this will be sent out closer to the time. There will be a bar, and food available to buy throughout the evening.
Other things in the pipeline
Shire horses… children’s crafts… street food… thousands of stickers… the customary leather badges… workshops… The list is growing!
Scratch Side(s)
We’ve been contacted by a few people whose sides haven’t quite got the numbers to dance out at the JMO DoD, but would really like to join anyway. We’re therefore organising a venue for a scratch side (or perhaps multiple, depending on numbers and traditions) to practise in the morning before dancing out after lunch. If you’re interested, drop us an email to jmo2025@adlingtonmorrismen.com and we’ll be in touch.
Register your side/team
It only takes a couple of minutes to register your side – BOOKINGS CLOSED ON Sun 12th January: JMO Day of Dance 2025 Registration
We’ll be in touch with registered sides with more details, but if you want to get in touch please email jmo2025@adlingtonmorrismen.com. Here’s to 2025 in Stockport!
55 teams have already booked a place (as at 4th January):
Team | Style | Org |
Adlington Morris Men | Cotswold | MR, MF |
Bedcote Morris | Cotswold | OM |
Belle D’Vain | North West | MF |
Belles & Broomsticks Guernsey | Cotswold | MF |
Bollin Morris | Border | OM |
Cadi Ha Morris | Cotswold | OM |
Carlisle Clog and Sword | Clog and hardshoe | MF |
Chapel-en-le-Frith Morris | Cotswold | MR |
Chorlton Cloghoppers | Step | OM |
Clerical Error Morris Dancers | Border | MF |
Earl of Stamford Morris | Cotswold | OM |
Fiddle ‘n’ Feet | Appalachian | MF |
Fidler’s Fancy Morris | Northwest | MF |
Fleet Folkloric Forum’s May Mares | Beasting | OM |
FOXS Morris | Border | MF |
Green Man Morris | Border | OM |
Hoylake Border Morris | Border | OM |
Ironmen & Severn Gilders | Border; North West | MF |
Jockey Morris | Cotswold | MR |
Kinnerton Morris Men | Cotswold | MR |
Kitchen Taps Appalachian | Appalachian Step | OM |
Leyland Morris Dancers | Cotswold | MR |
Lizzie Dripping | Cotswold | MF |
Manchester Morris | Cotswold; North West | MR |
Mersey Morris | Cotswold; Border; Molly; Longsword | MF |
Milltown Cloggies | North West | MF |
Mockbeggar Morris | North West | MF |
Mortimers Morris | North West | MF |
Mossley Morris Men | North West | MR |
Mucky Mountain Morris | Cotswold; Border | OM |
Newburgh Morris | North West | MF |
Pebworth Morris Men | Cotswold | MF |
Powderkegs Morris | Border | MF |
Poynton Jemmers | Northwest | MF |
Rainbow Morris | North West | MF |
Ringheye Morris of Mobberley | North West | MF |
Ripley Green Garters | Northwest | MF |
Ripley Morris | Cotswold | MR |
Roots Morris | Cotswold | MF |
Rose and Castle | North West | MR |
Saddleworth Morris Men | North West | MR |
Saddleworth Women’s Morris and Clog | North West; Step Clog | MR |
Shrewsbury Bull & Pump Morris Men | Cotswold | MF |
Shrewsbury Lasses | North West; Step Clog | MF |
Stafford | Cotswold | MR |
Stockport Morris Men | North West | MF |
Stone the Crows | Border | MF |
Sutton Masque | Border | MF |
The Illustrious Order of Fools and Beasts | Fooling/Beasting | MF |
The Knights of King Ina | Cotswold | MF |
Thelwall Morris | Cotswold | MR |
Uttoxeter Heart of Oak | Cotswold | MR |
Watersgreen Morris | Cotswold | MF |
Wharfedale Wayzgoose | Border | OM |
Wrigley Head Morris | North West | MR |
Organisation key:
- MR = Morris Ring
- OM = Open Morris
- MF = Morris Federation
#JMO2025