FESTIVAL PROGRAMME LAUNCH
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
The Arts Festival is turning 18! Are you?
Were you born between 11 June and 10 July 1993? If so, the Arts Festival would like to hear from you! This summer sees the 18th consecutive arts festival in Hebden Bridge and organisers are getting ready to celebrate this milestone with a special strand of events. Festival Chair Di Smith said, “Our Festival exhibition features artists who have just left art school, we’ve got a young band night lined up and a creative writing project linking the young and the young at heart. Now we want to hear from anyone in the Hebden Bridge area who will be turning 18 during the Festival. Please get in touch via our Facebook page or hbfestival@gmail.com and win the chance to be a VIP guest at special Festival events!”
Scene from 'Half Time' by Stephen Brady, Hebden Shorts 2010
(Photo: Zebra Photography)
The line-up for the 2011 Festival also includes world-class musicians, literary figures and comedy performers. Special guests will get the first glimpse of the brochure this Friday May 6, at an exclusive event attended by Robin Dixon, Mayor of Hebden Royd, sponsors Welcome to Yorkshire and representatives from Arts Council England.
Online and postal booking will open immediately afterwards and the programme will appear in brochure format over the weekend.
Funding issues have meant a difficult couple of months for the Festival. However, good news arrived last week when the organisers heard that their revised bid to Arts Council England had been successful. Festival Coordinator Rebecca Yorke said, “This is brilliant news for the Festival and we are very grateful for the Arts Council’s support. We always run on a shoestring, but this award, together with our grant from Hebden Royd Town Council, support from Sweet & Maxwell and our two-year sponsorship deal with Welcome to Yorkshire means that we can make this special Festival one to remember.”
Alongside the usual mix of music, literature and comedy, a Fringe Festival will run at The White Lion Hotel and preparations are being made to ‘yarnstorm’ the town. The Festival supports the Totally Locally campaign and is keen to involve as many local businesses as possible. Rebecca continued, “Many shops are adding to the Festival buzz by creating themed window displays and special Festival-linked offers. Our partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire will offer opportunities the whole town can benefit from, so if you haven’t already, please share your ideas on how to promote Hebden Bridge to the rest of the valley and beyond.”
The Festival is supported by Arts Council England, Welcome to Yorkshire, Hebden Royd Town Council, Sweet & Maxwell and Calderdale Council. This year’s event opens on Friday 24 June with a special Pay What You Want performance of Hebden Shorts which, following its sell-out success last year, returns with a series of six new plays. Events will run daily until Sunday July 10. For more information visit www.hbaf.co.uk, or pick up a brochure around Hebden Bridge over the weekend.
See also
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival website