Download Canterbury Festival 2016 Launch

Canterbury Festival
15 OCTOBER TO 5 NOVEMBER 2016
Kent’s International Arts Festival
www.canterburyfestival.co.uk
7 July 2016
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Canterbury Festival Programme Announcement!
Canterbury Festival has announced this year’s super sized line-up, with events spanning 3
weeks, with each day providing a smorgasbord of entertainment.
Global superstar Gilbert O’Sullivan returns to stage, giving his fans a chance to hear some of his
number one hits. Firm Classic FM favourite, guitarist Miloš with the English Chamber Orchestra
Ensemble, en route to the Royal Albert Hall, perform a programme of music spanning the
centuries from Bach to Beatles. Olivier award-winning Showstoppers will entertain you with
their incredible improvised all-singing, all-dancing production. The ABode Hotel will host The
Wedding Reception, an opportunity to become a guest at one of the most hilarious social
events of the year.
Over at the Spiegeltent, Australian circus troop Circa will take over for three nights with their
beautifully crafted physical feats of daring. If you prefer cabaret, fear not, Mistress of
Ceremonies Lili la Scala will be in residence along with some of her most beloved cabaret
reprobates for two nights.
Whether you are a wine lover, a keen gardener, a historian or even a closet punk, there are
plenty of Talks that you will find fascinating. Oz Clake will bring his wine wisdom to the table,
the ‘Gandalf of Gardening’ Monty Don is coming to help us bloom, historians David Starkey,
Tracy Borman and Kate Williams will span history from the Magna Carta through to the roaring
20s, and the incredible Wilko Johnson will look back at his life, and is guaranteed to rock your
world.
Family activities this October half-term will keep the children very busy. With subjects including
Marvellous Medicine, Little Monsters and Magic’s collision with Science, there is plenty to
spark the imagination. But it’s not just about the children, this year the Festival are delighted to
have a family friendly cabaret show, Variety Soup, stuffed with wonderous antics and lots of
laughs, it is suitable for anyone from 7-107.
The Festival is proud to deliver Arts Award, and for the first time will be creating a Half Term
Hub, where children get the chance to gain an Arts Award Discover Certificate for free! The
Discover Hub will be running alongside the Family Friendly shows and will give children the
chance to meet the performers, get creative, share their experience, and receive a fabulous Arts
Award Discover certificate. For adults wishing to get creative, why not pop over to the
Canterbury Throwdown shop, open for the first two weeks of the Festival, where anyone can
try their hand at creating a piece of pottery, for free.
The Festival aims to fill every available city space with entertainment. Look up high in the Guard
Chamber of the Westgate Tower, or down the medieval alleyways and you will find a show or
exhibition. Don’t forget to visit the Spiegeltent (a roaming 1920s dance hall), which is returning
to the City, oozing glamour and vintage charm. This year it will be moving to a new location. You
will find it, in all its glory, positioned on Kingsmead car park (opposite Sainsbury’s). The reasons
for the move include the fact that a number of visitors wanted it to be closer to the city centre,
so now it is just a short stroll along the King’s Mile.
These highlights are just the tip of the iceberg, with over 200 events taking place during the
Festival, so make sure you take a good look through the Festival programme and get scheduling!
Ends.
Canterbury Festival │15 October to 5 November 2016 │www.canterburyfestival.co.uk
For Festival information contact:
Rachel Pilard
Marketing Manager
Tel: 01227 452853
Email: [email protected]
Notes to Editors:

Canterbury Festival 2016 will run from 15 October to 5 November in and around Canterbury, Kent
will comprise over 200 events over three weeks. These events include music, performance, talks,
science, visual arts and walks.

The full programme of events for 2016 is in our Festival brochure, which is available to download at
www.canterburyfestival.co.uk from Monday 11 July.

As a passionate supporter of regional arts and culture, Canterbury Christ Church University is proud
to be the five-year Principal Sponsor of the Canterbury Festival. The University is the number one
choice for local people looking to study at university in Kent. Christ Church has just celebrated its
50th anniversary and, as a home to world-leading research and internationally recognised teaching
in music, has just opened its newly refurbished St Gregory's Centre for Music.

For information on where to stay, eat and discover further entertainment across the city, please see the
Festival’s Big Day Out, Big Eat and Big Sleepover pages on www.canterburyfestival.co.uk