Nearly 20,000 people attended the first night of artsfest, the UK’s biggest free arts festival. The first ever Folk Dance Fest was the biggest hit of the evening with revellers dancing in the rain.
In Centenary Square, there were a sea of umbrellas as crowds refused to let the weather dampen their spirits as they danced to the mix of folk, ska and reggae, headlined by Grammy nominated Musical Youth.
Musical Youth performed their number one hit Pass the Dutchie plus other songs from the past and present. The band, fronted by original members Dennis Seaton and Michael Grant, topped an evening that had also included Blues Brother’s tribute Jake and Elwood Blues, Birmingham’s finest Irish band The Teds and Goodnight Lenin, fresh from their appearance at the Moseley Folk Festival.
Over at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery nearly 1,000 visitors experienced everything from African drumming, soothing piano music whilst others were happy simply to soak up the art, including the newly opened Cardinal Newman display.
Cllr Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture said:
“The first night of this year’s artsfest has been a great success with thousands of people enjoying hours of free entertainment. It is a great opportunity for local people to see some of the city’s world class arts organisations alongside new talent from the region.”
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 nearly 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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