What started as a fringe festival flash mob by a performing troupe called Shambush in 2013 has exploded into an annual global phenomenon, and on Saturday July 15, it found its way back to the Hunter.
All across the globe, in major cities and on windy moors, fans of the musician Kate Bush deck themselves in their reddest attire and gather together to dance to the whimsical tune of the artist's Wuthering Heights.
The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, as it is called by its denizens, experienced a resurgence in the past few years after the blockbuster Netflix series Stranger Things prompted a renaissance of Kate Bush's music.
In Newcastle, the phenomenon has at many staged drawn hundreds of fans to the King Edward Park amphitheatre annually to make the occasion, and this year was no exception.
Co-organiser Natalie Mitchell said it was a beautiful day with upwards of 200 in attendance, including people in wheel chairs and using walkers, as well as a few more teens than in years gone by, thanks to the revival of the Kate Bush classic 'Running up that Hill' thanks to the latest instalment of popular sci-fi television drama Stranger Things.
"In the last series they used the Kate Bush song Running up that Hill quite prominently as part of the story so last year and this year we've had quite a few more teens and pre-teens," Ms Mitchell said.
And where in previous years they had Lexi the dog in a red tutu in attendance, this year due to the very sad passing of Lexi, her owners brought along their rescue canine and her pup, both in red tutus, starring as this year's Wuthering Heights tail waggers.
"Her owners rescued another dog who had puppies so they had two dogs come along dressed up so, the next generation came along," she said.
"It was a beautiful day and we raised a lot of money for the refuge".
One of the event's stalwarts, Linda Drummond, penned the following in the pages of the Newcastle Herald, explained that the phenomenon started on social media:
"It started on Facebook, as many things do, with a group of women questioning - could we do this in Newcastle? It took over, with posts shared and excitement brimming and the first event was held in 2017 - a tinny boombox rattling out the song and setting the scene for an event that would grow in scope and size.
"Funnily enough, that first event ended by this bunch of Kate fans "running up that hill" and forming a Facebook group and vowing to continue it again.
"Each year, with the exception of COVID-times, the event has continued. We no longer have a boombox, we now have a PA in a wheely bin and the group are led through the moves by "Dancing Kate" (each of the organisers have a name, I'm Shouty Kate because I usually yell out and get everyone organised - but luckily we also have Organising Kate).
"It's inclusive of all ages and genders. Anyone who's prepared to don a red frock or outfit and whack a flower in their hair can participate.
