A NEW one-day music festival, celebrating local talent, is coming to Melksham next year.
Shambles Festival is the idea of local man James Wilkins, who is planning to host the event in King George V playing field in May or June next year.
His ambitious plans received the backing of Melksham Town Council last week, who gave James the thumbs up to hold the event, with a capacity of up to 500 people, in the town’s main park.
James has described the festival as an ‘inclusive community event’ that will showcase the ‘incredible music talent’ – ‘all born and raised in Melksham’ – that the town has to offer.
“It’s great that Melksham Town Council has shown support for Shambles Festival taking place at King George V!” James told Melksham News. “I am currently aiming for the event to take place on a Saturday in May/ June next year and the next steps will be to confirm a date with Melksham Council so that I can submit the event management plan to Wiltshire Council to obtain a Temporary Events Notice. This will ensure that we have the proper licences for the festival to take place.
“There is still a lot of work to do and I can’t wait to get started!”
About the inspiration behind his idea for Shambles Festival, James said, “I have lived in Melksham my entire life and I am hugely passionate about music. Since leaving school I have been lucky enough to DJ in venues in Bath, Bristol, and even Budapest.
“I’ve become completely immersed in the world of live music events and would love to use this opportunity to involve myself in a project for the community that brings a piece of that to Melksham. That’s why I’m aiming for Shambles Festival to encourage local artists, businesses, and traders to get involved and benefit from the festival.”
At the town council’s asset management and amenities committee meeting last week, councillors described the festival as a ‘fantastic opportunity’ for the town. Councillors unanimously agreed to support the event, offering the help of the town council’s staff and the new events working group.
