Latest News In Chesterfield

26 May 2006

Chesterfield’s showpiece Queen’s Park will be transformed into a shimmering ‘Garden of Light’ featuring spectacular aerial aerobatics during the town’s third annual Market Festival this autumn.

Agile acrobats from the nationally-acclaimed arts company ‘Dream Engine’ will dance and tumble around a 26 feet high cone of light, accompanied by an original musical score in a spellbinding show sure to enthral audiences of all ages.

Coloured lights will turn the recently-renovated ‘jewel in Chesterfield’s crown’ into a magical fairyland, while further illuminated surprises will pop up in unusual places throughout each early evening from Friday to Sunday, October 27 to 29.

Other star appearances during the Festival - which will be staged from Thursday October 26 to Sunday October 29 - will be television’s ‘Flying Gardener’ Chris Beardshaw and evergreen actress Claire Bloom.

Chris – famous for his regular appearances on BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and numerous other horticultural programmes – will host two lectures plus question and answer sessions in the New Square Marquee on Sunday October 29.

Claire – who has acted alongside such legendary names as Sir Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton and Paul Newman – will bring some of Shakespeare’s best-loved characters to life in ‘These are Women’ at the Pomegranate Theatre on Saturday October 28.

Another famous face, again at the Pomegranate, will be versatile actor and director Guy Masterson, who will play all 69 characters in Dylan Thomas’s most famous work, Under Milk Wood, on Friday October 27.

Entertainment for all age groups and tastes – from comedy and a continental market to spooky ghost walks and samba workshops – will feature on the menu throughout the four-day fest of indoor and outdoor fun.

Established favourites such as Chamber music concerts in the town’s famous ‘Crooked Spire‘ Church will be joined by a host of new features – including a heated, upmarket marquee in New Square that will be licensed in the evening as the ‘Festival Club’, to create a continental-style ‘café’ atmosphere. Other venues will be Chesterfield Central Library, Chesterfield Museum, Rykneld Square and Chesterfield Tourist Information Centre.

Evening events at the Festival Club will focus on the music of Latin specialists Salsa Pa Gozar, jazz from the Nicola Farnon Quartet and the Reggae-influenced I Witness. Daytime features will include an art exhibition, Health and Beauty Day, a coffee morning in aid of the Mayor’s Pathways of Chesterfield Appeal and an afternoon wine tasting.

Antiques enthusiasts will appreciate a Valuation Day with James Lewis of BBC TV’s ‘Flog It’ and valuers from Derbyshire-based Bamfords, while events at the Winding Wheel will include a Young Bands Night and a drumming workshop and performance by internationally-renowned Asian musicians the Dhol Foundation.

Younger visitors will be able to take in a range of activities and entertainment – from a look at life in Roman times and lantern making to shadow puppet making with the Babbling Vagabonds Storytelling Theatre and embarking on a voyage of discovery with Sinbad the Sailor.

“Each year, Chesterfield Market Festival goes from strength to strength, offering a wealth of fun and entertainment for all tastes and age groups with its ever-expanding programme of events and activities,” said Councillor Ray Russell, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council.

“This year we are particularly pleased to welcome the Garden of Light show to Queen’s Park, recently renovated in a £4.7 million improvement project that has earned it well-deserved recognition as one of the finest parks and green spaces in the country. I’m sure that this stunning display will pull in the crowds and, along with all the other varied attractions on offer, will help make this third Festival an event to remember for a long time to come.”

Main sponsors for the Chesterfield Market Festival 2006 are RAC Auto Windscreens, with additional support from Robinsons and Arnold Laver. Further sponsors are still being sought and are invited to contact Laurie Wootton, Chesterfield’s Town Centre Manager, on 01246 207207.

Programmes giving full details of all events and tickets are now available from Chesterfield Tourist Information Centre, Rykneld Square, 01246 345777/8, e-mail tourism@chesterfield.gov.uk and the Pomegranate Theatre, Corporation Street, 01246 345222, e-mail box.office@chesterfield.gov.uk.