artsfest 2010 rocked out with Kerrangfest as headliners The Twang played to a capacity crowd in Centenary Square.
ore than 270,000 attended artsfest over the weekend, the UK’s biggest free arts festival and were treated to an eclectic mix including live music, dance, street theatre, film screenings and art sales in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor venues.
The concert in Centenary Square featured Fuzzbox and headliners The Twang alongside favourites Elliot Minor and Young Guns. All girl band Fuzzbox delighted the early afternoon crowd with their eighties hits ‘Pink Sunshine’ and ‘International Rescue’ and their comeback single, a cover of M’s ‘Pop Muzik.’
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery saw nearly 13,000 visitors over the two and half days entertained by choirs, Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company and dance troupes. Street theatre from Shropshire Street Arts and MOB from Birmingham’s Drum entertained in all the city’s squares. At the Crescent Theatre there was the second day of the Short Cuts film programme which brought together over 30 short films by up-and-coming local film directors.
Cllr Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport & Culture said: “Hundreds of thousands of visitors have flocked to Birmingham this weekend to see the best the city and the region has to offer in terms of culture and artistic talent. This is what artsfest is all about – bringing people together to share culture. Birmingham really is a cultural capital in its own right.”
Other major highlights of the weekend of free entertainment include the Classical Fantasia concert on Saturday evening, with Birmingham’s world famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, a Broad Street ‘Walk of Stars’ tribute to David Bintley, director of Birmingham Royal Ballet and Ex Cathedra’s magnificent Town Hall preview of The Dream of Gerontius, that they will be performing in full on 18th September to general public, Bishops and dignitaries on the eve of the Beatification of Cardinal Newman by Pope Benedict XVI.
artsfest is organised by Birmingham City Council with support from sponsors, partners, arts organisations and volunteers. For more information go to www.artsfest.org.uk or contact the artsfest team on 0121 464 5678.
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Media contact:
Amrit Sahota on 0121 303 8795 or 07967 648 869. Amrit.sahota@birmingham.gov.uk
Or Carmel Girling on 07977583843. Carmel.girling@birmingham.gov.uk
Notes:
The full programme for artsfest is available on the website, or to request a printed copy please contact the media officer above.
artsfest is the UK’s biggest free arts festival, now in its 13th year, has grown from strength to strength and is now one of the highlights of Birmingham City Council’s annual events programme. This unique festival last year attracted over a quarter of a million people to our city to see thousands of artists perform for free. With everything from street art to opera, ballet to bhangra and poetry to rock music, the festival offers audiences a wealth of amazing opportunities to enjoy a huge range of artistic experiences for free.
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