WESTBURY Festival swings into action on Friday with its traditional opening concert, which will pave the way for an exciting two weeks of music, arts, talks and workshops in the town.
The opening concert will start at 7.30pm at the Laverton, and have performances from local choirs and young musicians.
Over the following 15 days there will be a huge variety of events including live music, bell-ringing, workshops, art and history exhibitions and talks, a brewery tour, an ‘Antiques Roadshow’ event and children’s activities.
The festival has this year taken extra steps to make sure there is something for everyone in what is one of the town’s yearly highlights.
Festival chairman Ian Cunningham says, “The festival is a chance for us to show off the best of what local people have to offer, and I really think we’re punching above our weight with the calibre of events this year.
“There are a lot of new things that we haven’t tried before, and we’re hoping to appeal to a much wider audience and get everyone involved. There will of course be all the classic favourites as well. I’m particularly looking forward to Antiques Uncovered and the jazz brunch at the Hollies, but it’s hard not to be excited about everything that’s going on! It should be a brilliant couple of weeks.”
Some of the stand-out events of the festival include a guided tour of Westbury’s Twisted Brewing Co., antiques valuations with experts as seen on BBC’s ‘Antiques Roadshow’, concerts from Finnegan’s Wake and the Opus One Swing Band, and an evening of nostalgia with films and music through the years from 1910 to 2000.
There will be things to bring the young ones to as well, with rhyme time mornings, a Star Wars themed craft workshop and a fun rendition of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
The popular lunchtime concerts will return to All Saints Church, and there will be talks on local history, Charles Dickens, gardening and church bell-ringing.
Many events are free or as low cost as possible, and all are open to everyone to celebrate Westbury’s culture.
The hotly-anticipated ‘Antiques Uncovered’ will be a peek behind the scenes of Antiques Roadshow with experts Lee Young, Lisa Lloyd and Marc Allum and a chance to have your antiques inspected for £5 for the first item and £1 per extra piece.
Festival tickets are available at www.wmafestival.co.uk on 0333 666 3366, or at E.J Crafts on Maristow Street in Westbury town centre.
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