When: 21st – 23rd September 2018
Where: Ironbridge, Shropshire
£: Concert tickets cost £13.50 and there is a small fee for some of the activities. Many events are free.
What it is?
This year’s Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival will take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd September with a line-up of new events at venues around The Gorge. There will be activities for all ages and interests, many of which are free of charge.
The annual festival celebrates Ironbridge Gorge’s World Heritage Site status and this year’s event will feature a concert, workshops, walks, a family day, performances and installations.
The festival will begin on the Friday evening with a Night on the Tiles at Maws Craft Centre in Jackfield. The courtyard at the centre of the former tile factory will be transformed with a 1920s themed open-air concert. Expect a jazz band and singer, a dance workshop and 1920s inspired food and drink.
On the Saturday, free events will include a family ReCreation Day in Dale End Park, where visitors can discover how to upcycle rubbish, browse stalls, watch demonstrations and take part in workshops run by artists, designers, musicians and innovators.
The Museum of The Gorge will be open all day on Saturday for free. Visitors will be able to discover more of the Gorge’s remarkable history and why it became a World Heritage Site. Ironbridge’s historic Lime Kilns on the Wharfage will be transformed into a performance space with live music and drama; while an outdoor exhibition along the Wharfage will depict the town’s history.
The final festival day on the Sunday, will see the Museum of Iron, Darby Houses and Enginuity all open for free, from 10am until 4pm. The Old Furnace will be brought to life with a sound and light installation. The Green will have family-friendly storytelling workshops, and outside Enginuity there will be a face painter, balloon artist and hands on workshops.
Visitors will have the opportunity to experience a new, three screen, immersive sound and visual installation, by Jon Harrison (filmmaker) with Caroline Radcliffe (dancer) and Sarah Angliss (composer). The installation, entitled The Machinery, will be at Enginuity. It features steps from a ‘heel-and-toe’ clog dance dating back to the 1800s, layered with images and sounds from a working 19th century cotton mill and a 21st century call centre, emphasising the connections between the two industries.
Caroline Radcliffe, one of the artists, will be on hand running fun clog dancing taster sessions and giving a talk about the inspiration for The Machinery and explaining how historic clog dancing has links with today’s techno and street dance.
Parking for both the Saturday and Sunday festival days will be located at the Ironbridge Gorge Park and Ride at the top of Jiggers Bank (TF4 3QE). Visitors can catch the bus service from the car park for a small charge.
More info: www.ironbridge.org.uk