Drum roll please: Gloucester city council is setting the stage for a lively programme of festivals, entertainment and cultural events for 2017-2018.
Following the success of last year’s events, the city council has announced its planned festivals and events for 2017-2018. Some of which include the popular Tall Ships Festival and the Summer of Music, Arts and Culture (SoMAC).
By continuing to work with variety of partners, the year-round schedule will celebrate Gloucester’s rich heritage, making the city an exciting, welcoming and fun place to live, work and visit.
Popular events such as Rugby in the park, the blues festival and the Christmas lantern procession will be returning this year, ensuring that every aspect all of the city’s diverse community is catered for.
One of the city council’s priorities is to attract visitors to Gloucester and boost its growing reputation as a cultural destination. To help achieve this goal new events, such as the comedy festival, have been introduced.
Marketing Gloucester deliver the city councils event programme and is tasked with reducing costs and generating additional income year on year. The total budget for festival and events for the coming year is £160,000 and this is supplemented by ticket sales, sponsorship, advertising, fundraising and partnership funding.
Cllr Lise Noakes, cabinet member for culture and leisure, said “We had a great year of festivals and events last year, we really saw the community come together.
“The plans we’ve made for this year are designed to continue to bring people together, boost the economy and honour our city’s colourful history. I cannot overstate the importance of attracting visitors to enjoy Gloucester – a direct benefit of tourism being a brighter future for local businesses.”
The full list of events and festivals planned for 2017 – 2018 are:
Residents Weekend 31st March – 2nd April
Tall Ships Festival –27th – 29th May
Sea Shanty Festival 27th – 28th May
Henson Pig Sculpture Trail Launch – 3rd June
Cityfest – Park Fun Days 9th July
SoMAC June-August 2017
Art in the City 15th – 16th July
Rugby in the park 15th July
Stunt Shows 22nd – 23rd July
Carnival – 29th July
Music in the park/summer sound
Blues Festival –22nd – 30th July
Fireworks 5th August
Classical Music Festival/Folk Festival dates tbc
Retro Festival 26th August
Gloucester Day 2nd September
History Festival and Heritage Open Days 2nd -17th September
Christmas lantern procession and tree of light 19th November
Gloucester Comedy Festival dates TBC