Dates announced for Kenilworth Arts Festival 2017

The 2017 festival will run between Sunday September 17 and Saturday September 23 and will see artists including musicians, poets and writers appearing at a range of venues across the town.

Last year’s week-long festival, organised by volunteers, attracted more than 5,000 people to headline events, workshops and Fiesta - a free, outdoor event hosted in Abbey Fields.

Chairperson Lewis Smith said planning is well underway for this year’s festival.

He said: “Our aim is to offer a programme of events that will inspire and engage and offer opportunities for people of all ages to try new things, hone their skills and indulge their passions.

“The inaugural Kenilworth Arts Festival was a huge success and we are grateful to the many brilliant artists who took part, to the venues that lent us their spaces and to everyone who came along to support the events.

“This year as well as the headline events, workshops and our outdoor event Fiesta, we want to offer more fringe events, run long-term projects with local organisations, support community-led events and have a bigger presence in the town throughout the week and beyond.

“We are also committed to doing more to support new work and young artists by hosting showcase events, running competitions and encouraging collaborations.

“In short, we want to grow Kenilworth Arts Festival into one of the most innovative, distinctive festivals in the region and we believe there is potential to build something truly extraordinary.”

The festival has just launched a crowdfunding drive to help turn its plans into reality.

Organisers are aiming to raise £2,000 and are offering rewards to those who donate online, including early-bird tickets, limited edition prints and festival merchandise.

Lewis added: “Donations to the crowdfunding campaign will help us to build on the success of the 2016 festival. A very small team of us got things up and running last year.

“Now that we’ve laid the foundations and recruited some excellent new volunteers, we just need an extra boost to help us work towards our long term vision.”

“More materially, it will help us with lots of practical considerations, such as covering the costs of venue hire for fringe events, paying people fairly for their time and creativity and improving the environmental impact of our events.

“The Crowdfunding campaign is a great chance to be a part of the festival and to receive some exclusive rewards in the process. There are plenty of other ways to get involved, too - we’d love to hear from businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities, new volunteers and, of course, artists and performers.”

The Kenilworth Arts Festival crowdfunding campaign will run from Thursday February 9 until Sunday March 12.

Anyone wishing to contribute should click here