Worcester music festival proves to be huge draw (From Evesham Journal)
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Worcester music festival proves to be huge draw
2:40pm Monday 27th August 2012 in News
By Elizabeth Sweetman, @lizsweetmanWN #worcsnews
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ON SONG: Farcical (Sally Stamford and Arthur Hyde) perform outside the Guildhall. Worcester
THOUSANDS of people descended on Worcester at the weekend to sample the “musical tapas” on offer at this year’s music festival.
A total of 345 performances from bands, singers and workshops took place over the weekend, and will finish today.
People visited venues throughout Worcester, including the Firefly in Lowesmoor, the Worcester Arts Workshop, the Guildhall and the Marrs Bar to see the best that music had to offer, from local acts and those from further afield.
Large crowds also lined the banks of the Severn yesterday to watch a dragon boat racing event taking place as part of the wider Worcester Festival celebrations.
This year’s festival, the fifth of its kind, also included a new family-friendly aspect which proved a huge success as families of all ages enjoyed a wide-range of musical genres. There was also a good reception to the workshops on offer, particularly the children’s concerts.
Helen King, co-chairman of the Worcester Music Festival, said: “We’ve had some great feedback.
“People have loved walking through the city and hearing lots of live music from lots of venues. There’s been an increase in the number of families taking part and it’s been lovely to see people discovering new music and supporting the bands.
“There’s been a happy atmosphere and the venues have been generally busy. The bands have enjoyed meeting each other. It’s been quite nice for local bands to have other bands coming in.”
Highlights of the weekend included local favourites Jasper in the Company of Others, who played to a huge crowd at the Marrs Bar in Pierpoint Street on Saturday night.
A number of new venues joined the bill this year, including the Diglis Hotel.
This year’s festival is also raising money for local charity New Hope, a respite centre for children with disabilities and complex healthcare needs, based in Ronkswood.
For more information about the acts performing today, and where to find them, visit worcester musicfestival.co.uk
