This year’s festival – the town’s eleventh – will take place from 4th September to 3rd October and will have a special Made in Derbyshire focus
A HIGHLY-anticipated feature of South Derbyshire’s cultural calendar, the annual Melbourne Festival promotes the wealth of creative and performing talent in the East Midlands. This year, concerts and performances will run from 4th September to 3rd October, whilst the renowned Art & Architecture Trail takes place on 19th and 20th September, when over 70 local homes, halls businesses and churches will open their doors as hosts to a cross section of nearly 100 artists from the Midlands and beyond.
To highlight the area’s skilled artists and artisan food and drink producers, this year’s trail includes an exciting ‘Made in Derbyshire’ section, in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council’s Made in Derbyshire 2015 campaign. Twelve Derbyshire artists will be exhibiting and demonstrating their techniques in Melbourne Assembly Rooms and around forty additional artists will be situated throughout the town. Those to look out for include Kerri Pratt, Cheryl Wilbraham, Louise Macintosh-Watson, Lynn Hazel Smith and Nicola Dennett, to name just a few.
The trail weekend also includes a fairy tale adventure for families. The garden at the Vicarage will be transformed into a magical fairy tale scene, festooned with colourful exhibits made by local schoolchildren, and visitors will be able to take part in creative activities. Each afternoon a parade led by the Wicked Witch, Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf and Cinderella will journey from the Vicarage Garden to the Lothian Gardens; fancy dress is encouraged!
Local talent is also celebrated in this year’s performance programme. The festival opens with Old School Rocks featuring local band Vasey, and alongside workshops and talks there will be concerts from artists such as guitarist James Rippingale, A Choir’d Taste, The Benson String Quartet and Melbourne Town Band, who will host a classical cushion concert for children.
The festival ends on what promises to be a spectacular high – a performance of Sinful Shakespeare by Derby’s award-winning 1623 Theatre Company. w
For further information and a full line-up of events see www.melbournefestival.co.uk.
