Entertainment in the early 19th Century for our Bacupian ancestors consisted of such activites as cock fighting, dog fighting and badger baiting . A favourite location for these activities was Crown Point. The  annual fair which up until the late 1860’s was held in the Union Street areas  quite often featured the sad spectacle of bear baiting. Gambling was very popular, and with an abumdance of pubs court appearances for gambling and being drunk and disorderly were common,  in 1865 a Bacup man was brought before the court for biting off the head of a live rat for a bet.  Bacup held many celebration parades these were known as demonstrations, in the early years of Bacup's history they were used as a way of raising funds for the various charities such as Hospital Sunday. If there was one thing our Bacup and Stacksteads ancestors knew how to do it was Celebrate. Whether it be a Royal Coronation,  Royal Visit, Carnival, Church Parade or Fund Raising event out would come the bunting and the crowds. Like many industrial towns in the North Bacup and Stacksteads had its own brass bands, Bacup Old Band which became Irwell Springs and Change Band were two of the most popular , during the 1860’s Stacksteads band being described in 1873 as a “ young band” . The Bands played at concerts, garden parties and Sunday schools processions.  Taking part in the various band contest such as Belle Vue which began in 1853  and Crystal Palace which began in 1860. Whilst several theaters appear in the local newspapers during the early 1860’s the only one which seems to be of a permanent structure was Pickles Theater others such as the Royal Standard and Lyceum seem to be mobile theaters.In 1867 a young man brought to Bacup to entertain the populace with his euphonium was thtreatened with death and all other sorts of unimaginable things. It was common for concerts to be disrupted by marauding children and adults and theaters in general had a very unsavoury reputation until the opening of the Royal Court Theater. The first organised sporting activities in Bacup were gymnastics and athletics, followed by cricket , football and swimming. With an abundance of well built men who worked in the quarries,and mines bare knuckle fighting was also a common and popular past-time.  Broadclough was describe in 1865  as  a scene of disorder and riot, with men comming reeling out of the local inn still dressed in thier filthy work clothes and clogs, swearing, cursing and fighting  looking like the filthiest rascals Lancashire could ever produce.