Sixty acts across 15 venues ... that’s the scale of this year’s Bury St Edmunds Festival which is set to attract thousands of people to the town during the Spring.
The big names to grace the many stages being set up during the 10-day event include Jools Holland and his Ryhthm and Blues Orchestra, Gilbert O’Sullivan, UB40, Aled Jones, Benjamin Zephaniah, Ute Lemper, the Brodsky Quartet and Willard White, and kicking off the opening night on Friday, May 18, is Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Festival manager Nick Wells, speaking at the launch of the festival at The Apex, on Friday, said: “I think that we have got some high profile events on every day and it’s going to encourage more people to come and see more things and travel into Bury and stay.”
There’s shows at the Theatre Royal, screenings at the Abbeygate Cinema, concerts at The Apex, the Athenaeum and Bury St Edmunds Cathedral, jazz at the Hunter Club, folk music at the Station Hill Social Club, guided walks from Angel Hill, history at Moyse’s Hall Museum and many more events lined up.
One of the key elements to this year’s festival is the link up with OEP Live! in order to bring outdoor gigs back to the event and shows at Nowton Park on the Bank Holiday weekend to help provide a rousing end to the festival.
“The Bury Festival gives us an opportunity each year to enjoy a wide range of music and other art forms over 10 packed days of entertainment in venues and spaces all around the town.
“Bury is a vibrant town with plenty of arts and entertainment on offer throughout the year and the festival draws a lot of that together in a wonderful concentration and celebration of activity,” said Mr Wells.
From pop music to classics and comedy to toe tingling tap dancing there’s something to cater for everyone’s tastes with a raft of events taking place on every day.
Getting the festival underway is Amanda Heath and James Recknell with a recital at the Cathedral, the film “Suffragette” at the Abbeygate Cinema, Charles Dickens’ “Hard Times” at the Theatre Royal, the jazz of Dudley Moore at the Hunter Club and folk star Terence Blacker at the Station Hill Social Club.
The final events on Sunday, May 27, feature a festival walk, “Belle” at the Abbeygate Cinema and UB40 at Nowton Park.
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