Shropshire Star

Ludlow Fringe Festival returning to town for 10th birthday

Organisers of Ludlow Fringe Festival have announced a new programme of events for its 10th anniversary– including the return of the popular town carnival.

Published
Festival director Anita Bigsby

The festival will celebrate its 10th birthday this year and has a number of events for people to get involved with, leading up to the festival itself in June.

The build-up to the main event will start with a fundraising musical this Saturday – featuring Welsh Diva Cat Davis and the six-piece band Lucas D & The Groove Ghetto.

The entertainment will start at 7.30pm at Ludlow Brewery, in Station Drive, and tickets are still available to buy from eventbrite.co.uk.

Money raised on the night will go toward Ludlow Fringe Festival’s Community Fund, which will help support the fringe’s programme over the coming year.

Anita Bigsby, fringe festival director, said: “This is an exciting year for us, a major milestone with our birthday celebration, and we have some fantastic things planned for people to get involved with and enjoy.

“The Fringe Festival will run from June 18 until July 10. It’s a massive event for the town and our community, showcasing Ludlow to an audience of thousands drawn from far and wide.

"Our vibrant and diverse festival is not only a chance for the town to celebrate but also provides the opportunity to display the talents of our local people.

“The carnival is returning this year and will start the festival off on Saturday, June 18, at 2.30pm with an eco theme of Our Beautiful Earth.

"It’s an opportunity to put our world front and centre and think about how we can help preserve it for future generations.

“Our eco-carnival is our way of raising awareness by encouraging people to use pedal power, horsepower and pushing and pulling power on the carnival parade, or simply dance their way through the town as we ditch the more traditional petrol and diesel modes of transport.

“Ahead of the carnival, we will be running a series of workshops during the coming months, social sessions encouraging interaction and creativity where people can learn new skills and meet new friends as we gear up for the festival.

"We will be taking the workshops out into the community to be hosted in places like schools, libraries, retirement homes and sports clubs.

“It takes money of course to put on the festival and maintain a comprehensive programme of events over the course of the year, building on the success we have been proud to achieve over the last 10 years.

“With this in mind, we have a big event coming up this weekend and want people to turn out in force to support our second fundraiser of the year.

"It’s taking place on Saturday, promises to be a great night out and will be an evening where people can help us celebrate our birthday."

Visit ludlowfringe.co.uk for more information.