Now in its 23rd year, Leicester music mogul and The South frontman Gaz Birtles will kick off De Montfort University Leicester’s (DMU) annual cultural exchange festival.
From Monday 26 February, the creative industry will come together to take part in a week-long series of events organized by Arts Festival Management students.
This year’s Arts and Culture Festival will showcase emerging talent through art, music and drama to educate local communities about the UK’s creative industries.
One of the headline acts, Face the Musician, will host a mash-up of emerging indie, rock and R&B artists and Leicester’s Firebug, as well as a pre-show Q+A with Gaz Birtles. ing.
Other events will include talks from Leicester Comedy Festival founder and DMU alumnus Geoff Rowe and Cultural Exchange founder Tony Graves.
There will be a contemporary re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet by Nottingham Shakespeare Company, and an industry networking walk and talk in Bradgate Park.
Workshops, film screenings and panel discussions will also be held throughout the week to inspire the Leicester community, fellow creators and students through local arts and culture.
In the past, the festival has attracted the likes of podcaster ShxtsNGigs, choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne OBE, renowned drag artist Jamie Campbell and iconic fashion designer Katharine Hamnett.
Student organizer Jacob Ward said:
“Last year, the students managed to secure the ShxtsNGigs podcast, which was tough because it was obviously huge and we felt like we had to fit in.
“What we did instead was we all put a lot of effort into combining all of our own interests and coming up with something different. Walks and Talks at Bradgate Park It’s something like this that’s never been done before, and it’s bringing people back to the countryside. It forces us to be creative.”
Prior to the festival, students work on everything from finding performers to budgeting and marketing. Speaking about the process that went into planning the event, Sharna Cixby said:
“We all had very different ideas, but we wanted to make sure everyone’s ideas were included. So we all sat down and said, ‘This is how much we have. And I said, “How much is this going to cost?” If something is out of budget or not possible, we will compromise and negotiate to lower the cost and make it happen as best we can. ”
“We look forward to seeing the event take place and hearing people say they had a good time.
“Months of hard work has gone into it and seeing people enjoying it is exactly what we want and it’s all worth it.”
Jacob added: “I love working in the arts as a whole, and I’m also very passionate about bringing art to people and giving people the opportunity to witness and create art.
“That’s where I want to go, and I feel like I’ve been able to convey that through this festival. All events are free, but if they’re not free, they’re very cheap throughout the festival.
“For example, the Nottingham Shakespeare Company alone is half the price of a normal ticket. Being able to offer free events and opportunities to people is something I want to do in the future.”
The festival runs from Monday 26th February to Friday 1st March and is hosted by Unite Student.
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Posted on: Monday, February 19, 2024