Arts in the Park - Blackburn (Festivals in general)

Member Name: harlequin1

Product:	Festivals in general
Date:	30/07/01 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: free entry, some free stuff

Disadvantages: Beer and food to expensive

What a great weekend the Arts in the Park festival has been.
Organised by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Festivals and Events Section, this has now become an annual event at Corporation Park, Blackburn.
It is a free event with plenty of local bands playing over the two days on three different music stages.
There were loads of tents containing craft stalls, arts workshops, healing and therapeutic arts zones and childrens entertainers. There was also a fairground, which was rather overpriced, but aren’t they always.
As a parent of five kids as I have said before it can be difficult to go anywhere without it costing a fortune.
Ice creams and food was expensive but if you did what we and most other people did and took your own then it wasn’t too bad.
We had to give the kids a set amount of money and once it was gone that was it. Their choice what they spent it on. Needless to say their money lasted about an hour. Even though they had no money for the rest of the day they still found plenty of things to do.
My partner and I took a blanket and spent our time having a beer and listening to the bands. It was a fantastically relaxing couple of days. Sunday we took our own beer instead of buying it in the lost dads tent (bar) because at £2.20 a pint it made it an expensive round.
Saturday was more for younger music lovers with a lot of indie type bands such as
Jobe a Clitheroe band who are starting to cause a stir on the Manchester indie scene, and Tompaulin a Blackburn rock group.
The highlight of Saturday was Voulez Vous, an Abba tribute band who really know how to put on a show.
Sunday was more for the older music lovers with acts such as jazz orchestras and brass bands the highlight of which was the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and fireworks display.
It was a great weekend and we will definitely go again next year.

Summary: