EXCITEMENT is building for this year’s Westbury Festival, with a whole host of events already revealed, including an award-winning musician, a community choir, heritage walks and the return of Little Lunch Music free concerts.
The annual music and arts festival which is now in its 12th year, will run from Friday 20th September to Sunday 6th October. The line-up is beginning to take shape and music and art lovers are in for a treat.
Festival chair, Ian Cunningham said, “Every year, we seem to come up with an even better festival; I suppose at some point we won’t be able to keep doing that – but it’s not this year!
Festival sponsors for this year are Westbury Town Council, Hills Waste Ltd, Elkins Ford, Lockheed Martin and HPH Commercial Property.
The festival will be opened by Bristol’s community choir ‘Renewal Gospel Choir’ on Saturday 21st September from 7pm-9pm at All Saints Church.
Organisers say, “With its usual high energy gospel music, the choir delivers a dynamic repertoire of songs and this promises to be an exhilarating and unforgettable night. Don’t delay, tickets will go fast!”
Tickets are £12.50 per person and will be on sale soon.
The festival will be closed by BAFTA-nominated entertainer, Richard Digance, on Saturday 5th October at The Laverton from 8pm-10.30pm.
Richard has won a Sony Award and is one of only three British folk singers mentioned in the Virgin Anthology of Songwriters for his contribution to comedy songwriting.
He has released 31 albums, written 14 books and has nearly 5 million visits on YouTube. He also composed the songs and music for Bill Bryson’s best-selling audio CD book ‘The Road to Little Dribbling’. He has worked in America with movie star Steve Martin and recalls two of his greatest moments as playing the London Palladium with Robin Williams and a guitar duet on TV with Queen guitarist Brian May. Tickets are £15.
The ever-popular comedy and supper night returns this year at The Laverton on Saturday 28th September from 7.30pm-10.30pm with sets from comics courtesy of the Submarine Comedy Club in Frome. More details to be released soon.
If history is your thing, find out more about where you live with a free ‘Heritage Walk around Westbury’ on Wednesday 25th September from 2pm-4pm.
You will be led by two of Westbury Heritage Society’s expert guides on a fascinating journey around the historic parts of Westbury.
It covers the town’s conservation area and town centre and will include the cemetery and the former workhouse and will tell the story of the town’s built heritage.
The popular Little Lunch Music, a series of free concerts in All Saints Church, are returning this year with some firm favourites from previous years and some brand new performers. Expect jazz, a capella choirs, schools choirs and a variety of instruments.
To keep an eye on announcements of acts, visit the festival website at www.westburyfestival.org.uk.
Tickets can be bought online on the website www.westburyfestival.org.uk, pop-up box office in the weeks before the festival at E.J.Crafts on Maristow Street from 9am-4.30pm Monday to Saturday, by phone 03336 664 466 via ticket source or from committee members.