Tag: festival

BBC Real Hustle Star Joins Tyneside Magic Festival Lineup

By on 21st February 2016in Entertainment

Performers from across Europe and America will be cheating, conjuring and clowning their way into the North East for a special event taking place next month…

The 13th annual South Tyneside International Magic Festival, which runs at the Customs House, South Shields, returns with a host of entertainment from Wednesday March 9th.

One of the most highly anticipated elements of the event, organised by South Tyneside Council, is an International Gala Show on Saturday March 12th, starring six of modern magic’s most impressive illusionists.

This includes jovial juggler Steve Rawlings, conjuror and David Blaine consultant, Peter Clifford and professional cheat R Paul Wilson, who wrote and presented smash hit BBC TV show, The Real Hustle.

They will be joined by Belgian man of mystery, Rafael, American entertainer John Carney, and award-winning German performer Alana, whose latest act appears to show her with several hands.

North East magician John Archer will be compering the show, and is helping South Tyneside Council to plan this year’s event.

“I’m thrilled to be so heavily involved in the South Tyneside International magic Festival 2016, and in particular to be compering Saturday’s Gala Show,” he said.

“The line-up for the evening offers an amazing mix of talent, and I’m sure audience members of all ages will be left wondering, how do they do that?”

Tickets for the South Tyneside International Magic Festival’s Saturday night Gala Show are priced from £13 each and on sale from the Customs House Box Office on www.customshouse.co.uk or 0191 4541234.

Councillor Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, with responsibility for Culture and Leisure, said: “The Saturday night Gala Show is one of the most popular elements of the South Tyneside International Magic Festival, and is often a sell out, so I would advise people to get their tickets early to avoid missing out.”

Other highlights in this year’s festival, supported by the Customs House and BBC Newcastle, include a second International Gala Show on Friday March 11th, a Family Magic Extravaganza sponsored and programmed by MagicBox on Wednesday March 9th, and a three-day convention for professional magicians and enthusiasts.

For more information and a full line-up, visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/magicfestival.

Britain Does Vintage Festival Comes To Newcastle

By on 16th February 2016in Entertainment

On 23rd April, the Clayshed at Hoults Yard (just outside of Newcastle’s City Centre) will be hosting a remarkable vintage occasion…

 

From 10.30am to 5pm, vintage lovers can enjoy purveying an eclectic mix of authentic vintage and vintage-inspired stalls.

There’ll be the opportunity to tap your feet to vintage DJs and live music, get crafty at the demonstration zone, join the beauty bar to get glammed up as your favourite vintage icon, and even get snap happy at the vintage photo booth.

Plus, there’ll be plenty of old-school street foods available, along with the chance to drool over a selection of classic cars.

Once all the shopping has been done, relax at one of the quaint tearooms, supplied by Melonberry Vintage.

Wondering what to wear for such an occasion? Out with the new and in with the old is Britain Does Vintage’s creedo, so take the opportunity to dress like it’s yesteryear! 40s uniforms, 50s dresses, 60s headpieces, 70s leggings and 80s jackets are all encouraged.

Early bird tickets start at £3.50 for adults. For more information, visit www.britaindoesvintage.co.uk.

Bestselling Writer To Headline Crime Story 2016 Festival

By on 12th February 2016in Entertainment

Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train, will headline this year’s Crime Story festival, delivered in partnership by Northumbria University and New Writing North…

Crime Story is an innovative festival for readers and writers of crime fiction, providing rare access to experts from the fields of forensics, criminology, pathology and law, who reveal and interrogate the facts behind crime fiction.

Appealing to crime readers, as well as fans of TV series such as Serial and Making a Murderer, the day-long festival invites audience and experts to pick apart a fictional crime, which will be written by Paula Hawkins. For crime writers, the festival also offers an extraordinary opportunity to challenge and improve the authenticity of their writing, by giving unique access to a wide range of experts in police science, as well as crime writers and publishing industry leaders.

Paula Hawkins said: “I attended Crime Story in June 2014 on a whim. I thought the concept sounded interesting – a group of crime writers and readers get together to try to solve a fictional murder aided by a handful of experts – detectives, forensic specialists and legal experts. I expected to have an entertaining weekend. I didn’t expect to walk away with ten A4 pages crammed with detailed notes covering all aspects of police procedure, and a head brimming with new ideas.

“Crime Story gives writers the kind of access to senior detectives, blood-spatter experts and forensic psychiatrists that most of us could only dream about. I found it fascinating and invaluable, and have been looking forward to the next one ever since, so am absolutely thrilled to have been asked to come up with a murder scenario for this year’s event.”

Northumbria’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business and Engagement), Lucy Winskell OBE, said: “I was delighted to hear that international bestselling author Paula Hawkins will be headlining Crime Story 2016 at Northumbria University. Her involvement in this year’s event is hugely exciting news and a real endorsement of this innovative festival’s appeal to writers, readers, academics and professionals in the field.

“Delivered in partnership by Northumbria and New Writing North, Crime Story draws on the University’s teaching and research expertise across criminology, criminal law, forensic science and creative writing, to explore the facts behind the fiction.

“I’m sure Paula will write a fascinating and compelling whodunit for our experts and audience members to investigate during the course of this unique day-long festival.”

Crime Story takes place in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Saturday 11th June. The full programme will be announced and tickets released on Thursday 10th March at Crime Story: Portrait of a Criminal, a special event in which two award-winning writers explore the minds of two of the most notorious criminals of recent times. Writers Dan Davies and Andrew Hankinson will discuss the subjects of their work, their own methods and the place of true crime in literary writing. Ticket holders for Portrait of a Criminal: Crime Story will receive £10/£8 off their Crime Story festival ticket price.

Tickets are now available for Crime Story: Portrait of a Criminal on Thursday 10th March by clicking here. Find out more about Crime Story 2016, taking place on Saturday 11th June at Northumbria University at www.crimestory.co.uk. Northumbria offers courses in a wide range of disciplines related to this special event, including criminology, criminal law, forensic science and creative writing. For more information about studying at Northumbria, go to www.northumbria.ac.uk/courses.

Primal Scream First Act Announced For Down To The Woods Festival

By on 8th December 2015in Entertainment, Music

One of the world’s most notorious rock bands are to take to the stage at a major North East festival next summer…

Scottish legends Primal Scream are one of the first acts to be announced for Down To The Woods – successor to the Hardwick Live festival – which will take place in the grounds of Hardwick Hall Hotel, County Durham on Saturday August 13th.

Following on from the huge success of 2015’s sellout Hardwick Live, which featured top performers including James, Razorlight and Embrace, organisers Ramside Estates are now planning the renamed 2016 festival, with the promise of a packed programme full of amazing acts.

Bringing Primal Scream – a band with more than 30 years in the music industry – to the North East is a huge coup for Ramside Estates, as the supergroup are scheduled to showcase their unique blend of rock, indie pop, dance and acid house at only a handful of gigs across the UK.

They will be joined by songsmiths Echo & the Bunnymen, who have had a string of top 20 hits since the 1980s, including the classic anthem Nothing Lasts Forever.

The original Hardwick Live festival grew rapidly in its three year history, with a capacity crowd of 10,000 enjoying the event in 2015.

Early bird tickets for its successor sold out even before any of the line-up had been revealed, with the organisers offering even more exciting entertainment at the new festival.

Jonathan Woodliffe of Ramside Estates, said: “Hardwick Live 2015 really set the bar in terms of both acts and atmosphere, and we’re hoping to top that in 2016 with the first ever Down To The Woods.

“To land Primal Scream is a major coup for us, especially as it will be their only gig within a 100 mile radius, and to have Echo & the Bunnymen, as well, really is a double whammy.

“This is the first of many exciting announcements we’ll be making about Down To The Woods in the coming months, and we’re confident it’s going to be one of the biggest music events of 2016.

“We’ve changed the name of the festival, but everything people enjoyed before will still be a part of this year’s event, with even more to enjoy in the best day of music for miles.”

Primal Scream began to leave a legacy with the release of their enormously successful third studio album, Screamadelica, which won the first Mercury Music Prize in 1992.

Since then they have maintained a constant assault on the UK and international music scenes, with a new album set for release in 2016.

Songs like Movin’ On Up, Rocks, Loaded, Country Girl, It’s Alright, It’s Ok and many more will ensure a party atmosphere during their hugely anticipated Down To The Woods set.

 

Echo & the Bunnymen have released a string of top 20 hits since the 1980s, including top selling studio albums Crocodiles, Porcupine and Ocean Rain, which all went gold.

Ian McCulloch still leads the band, with rumours of a new album to be released in 2016. Songs The Cutter, The Killing Moon and Bring On The Dancing Girls are guaranteed crowd pleasers at the North East festival.

Tickets for Down To The Woods, priced at £55 for adults, £15 for young people and £8 for children, are available now at www.downtothewoodsfestival.co.uk. A limited number of camping pitches are also on sale, priced at £30 per tent.

For more information, follow Down To The Woods on Facebook or Twitter.

Oxjam Darlo: One-Day Festival Returns For 2015

By on 13th October 2015in Entertainment, Music, What's New?, What's On?

After the mammoth success of Oxjam Darlo 2014, the festival is back for 2015, and intends to build on the huge achievements from last year. After raising a staggering £8,000 and smashing the original target by more than double, the money raised by Oxjam Darlo contributed hugely to helping those who are in need in the UK and abroad.

Takeover manager, Chris Jenkins, reflected on last year’s festival. “Oxjam Darlo was an amazing experience for everyone involved in 2014; the bands, venues, volunteers, gig goers and of course us, the organisers! It was a fantastic event for Darlington and was a huge success for Oxfam and the people that ultimately benefited from the money raised.”

The date is already set for this year’s event, where venues across Darlington will once again open their doors to music lovers from a wide range of genres. The one day festival (on October 25th) will also focus on promoting home-grown talent as it showcases some of Darlington’s finest musicians.

Fundraising efforts are in full swing, with the Oxjam team holding a very successful ‘Ultimate Music Quiz’ in early September at the Voodoo Café. Takeover Manager Chris also took part in a white knuckle bungee jump during a recent trip down under, and team member Jonny Lancaster endured the 13.1 miles of the Great North Run on behalf of the festival.

Music fans also enjoyed getting revved up for the main event by attending the festival’s launch party at The Green Room on September 25th, where they got a little taster of what to expect from the main event!

Tickets (which will be exchanged for wristbands on the day) are on sale for the one day festival and are priced at £8. – Take a look at Oxjam Darlo’s social media pages (Facebook and Twitter) for details on where they can purchased.

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