An award-winning artist hailing from Macclesfield, a 25-year-old jazz and funk band, and a popular tv comedian are going to be doing their bit to make this year’s Barnaby Festival one of the best.
The Barnaby Festival - Macclesfield’s biennial celebration of art and culture - returns to the town on Friday, June 15.
It brings with it 10 days of gigs and performances in venues across the town, and the return of the Visual Arts Trail, where local artists will be exhibiting a diverse collection of work at locations in Macclesfield.
Among the artists bringing their talent to the 10 day festival is artist Zarah Hussain, who is from Macclesfield and will be producing a specially commissioned piece of work for the festival.
Zarah, whose art combines Islamic geometry with contemporary digital arts, will be exhibiting her exciting work at the Silk Museum.
Among the bands signed up to perform on the first night of the festival is the James Taylor Quartet Live Experience, who will kick off the performance side of the festival, with a gig at St Michael’s Church on Friday, June 15, from 8pm.
Mandy Martinez, festival director, said: “We’re very excited about this year’s programme which is very much about shining a light on local talent. We have a very creative community in Macclesfield and Barnaby is a great showcase for it. We’re also looking forward to welcoming our other guests. Be sure to keep an eye out for programme announcements on the website and on social media.”
Over the first big weekend of the festival - from June 16 - 17 - there will be street performances and food and drink in Market Place, as well as a pop up marquee in St Michael’s churchyard, which will have a range of eclectic musical entertainment and spoken word. There will be an opportunity to join comedian, writer and broadcaster Arthur Smith in an evening of laughter and off the wall humour.
A familiar face on Have I Got News For You and Q.I, he will be bringing his talents to St Michael’s Church on Friday, June 22.
The Barnaby Parade will take place on Saturday, June 16 at midday, with spectacular floats and costumes from community groups.
Tickets for all events, as well as the complete listings for the Barnaby Festival 2018, will be available at barnabyfestival.org.uk from Tuesday, May 1. Tickets will also be available from the Visitors Information Centre at Macclesfield Town Hall.
