RIVERSIDE Festival’s full programme has now been revealed – and it’s packed full of interactive experiences, hands-on activities and music to suit every taste.
Across two days, the free, family-friendly Riverside festival on 6 and 7 June will offer a huge range of arts, craft and theatre activities – expanded thanks to new funding from Arts Council England – plus there will be music all across the festival.
On Saturday evening, THE OLD BOY will headline at Bede Park from 7pm, bringing his eclectic DJ set of soul, jazz, rare groove, funk, house, garage and hip hop to the park.
On Sunday, DJ Simon Philip will round things off at Bede Park from 6pm.
Also on the main stage at Bede Park over the course of the weekend will be a Tots’ Rave with DJ Juvie and Louisa Darling; melodic grunge from the Pretty Dirty Rats and a unique collaboration between Nupur Arts and KAINE choir, pairing Indian dance with African music.
Over at DMU’s campus, the Cultural eXchanges stage will kick off on the Saturday with the Talent 25 carnival parade, where families participating in the Talent 25 programme will lead a lively procession showcasing their upcycled festival costumes. The stage over the weekend will include dance, music, and spoken word from performers such as DMU Dance/Moving Together, Syston Swing Band, Curve Youth Dance Group, Sam the Rapper and Mirchi Mob.
Cultural eXchanges is DMU’s annual arts and creative writing festival, held in collaboration with Riverside.
Acoustic performers and street entertainers will also perform at Castle Gardens and the DMU Campus as part of Busk Leicester, with a further stage at Castle Gardens featuring spoken word, music, comedy and dance curated by BrightSpark Arts. And look out for the roaming Beatbox Jukebox, spreading good vibes and good tunes across the festival!
Cllr Vi Dempster, Leicester’s assistant city mayor for culture, said: “Riverside Festival is for everyone, and we look forward to welcoming thousands of people to the city centre to enjoy a huge range of music, art and activities.
“We’re very proud of this free festival and what it offers to visitors and families, showcasing Leicester at its best. It’s the result of a fantastic collaboration between lots of organisations and partners – and most of all, it’s fun!”
Dr Jacqui Norton, Associate Professor at DMU, said: “It’s exciting for us to work in partnership with Leicester City Council, and Cultural eXchanges will be celebrating its 25th anniversary at Riverside this year.
“We are really looking forward to showcasing the hard work of our final year Arts and Festivals Management students.”
Alongside the music, visitors can take part in arts, crafts and theatre activities, have a go at sports taster sessions, admire vintage vehicles and enjoy access to many of Leicester’s unique heritage sites.
Riverside Festival visitors can get discounted entry to Jewry Wall over the weekend, while St Mary de Castro Church – one of Leicester’s oldest buildings – will be open, and its bells will ring out at 12pm on the Saturday to mark the start of the festival, with a choral evensong taking place at 5pm on the Sunday.
Newarke Houses Museum, which is free to enter, is open on the Saturday, and heritage sites on the DMU campus, including the Great Hall at Leicester Castle, Trinity Chapel, the herb garden and the DMU Museum, will also be open over the weekend, with additional activities at the DMU Gallery.
The festival will also feature lots of hands-on, interactive activities for families to try, including storytelling with Leicester Libraries, arts and crafts, theatre and poetry. A huge of range of street food and drink, including licensed bars, will be available across the festival.
Find out more – including a full programme, accessibility and travel information, at: visitleicester.info/riverside-festival/
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