You don’t have to travel far this summer as you can enjoy an eclectic programme of events at Warwick Arts Centre, but we know you want to soak up some culture whilst basking in the glorious sunshine… so let’s talk festivals!
The UK festival season is bulging with arty goodness. Imagine the programme of excellent Warwick Arts Centre events held in the beautiful surroundings of the Sunrise Coast. If you like the sound of that, you’ll love Latitude Festival (Thu 12 July – Sun 15 July) – an annual festival comprising music, theatre, art, film, comedy, cabaret, poetry, dance and literature. The pick of this year’s diverse line-up includes Elbow, Paul Weller, The Horrors, Django Django, plus a good programme of theatre. We also command you to go and see our mates Pentabus Theatre!
Held at Coventry’s War Memorial Park, Godiva Festival is the city’s biggest festival that takes place this year between Fri 29 Jun – Sun 1 Jul. The line-up includes Echo & the Bunnymen, local duo Coves (Huw Stephens loves them and so do we), Space, Cast and a DJ set from local rude boy Neville Staple (The Specials). The festival also hosts the best emerging comedians, local musicians and acts from years gone by – Human League anybody? Oh and did we mention that it’s free?
If you prefer music of the folk variety be sure to check out the picturesque Warwick Folk Festival between Thu 26 – Sun 29 Jul. The line-up includes many big names from the world of folk. Also, Mosley Park Birmingham plays host to the Moseley Folk Festival – a lush inner city oasis of peace and calm that hosts a diverse range of bands (not just folk) between Fri 31 Aug – Sun 02 Sep.
Moseley Park is also home of the Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival on Fri 29 – Sun 01 July. We’re particularly excited to see former Coventrian and Mercury Prize nominee Ghost Poet plus DJ Shadow, Roots Manuva & Mr Scruff.
We’re also looking forward to the multi venue Birmingham Arts Fest (the UK’s biggest free arts festival) that takes place on Sat 8 & Sun 9 Sep 2012. To gauge the size of the event, in 2011 3000 artists performed at 600 events over 50 venues! Expect music, dance, theatre, visual arts, poetry and more.
The free Leamington Peace Festival will return to the beautiful settings of the Pump Room Gardens on Sat 16 & Sun 17 Jun bringing the pick of the best musicians to Warwickshire. Make sure you check out the range of peace talks, campaigns and activities that you can get involved with! Our Under The Radar programmer Tash Daly (now a member of The Association of Festival Organisers) helps to organise the festival so you can expect good things!
Look out for some exciting Under The Radar developments this autumn. As ever we encourage you to engage with us… follow us on Twitter @warwickarts and provide us with feedback. We want to hear about your musical tastes and views.
