BOROUGH leisure boss Damian Talbot has urged residents to attend its two big music celebrations which kick off this weekend.

THE Blackburn Beat Festival in King William Street tomorrow will be headlined by double platinum selling group Dodgy.

Also on the line-up are Ella Shaw, The Retrosette’s, the Chris Scott Ban, the New York Tourists and Jeremiah Ferrari.

On Saturday September 6, Blackburn Festival returns to Witton Park with a headline performance from alternative rockers Toploader.

It will also feature performances from Northern Jazz Orchestra, Sky Valley Mistress and The Slydes and have a real ale beer tent.

As well as music, there will be comedy, food, arts and crafts workshops and an interactive performing arts piece inspired by traditional indian folklore entitled “Navrattan: A Quest for the Lost Gems”.

Coun Talbot said: “These are major events with big names as headline acts.

“The Beat Festival is a great first course for music lovers right in the town centre.

“Then we have the Blackburn Festival at Witton Park which was a great success with 5,000 people attending. We hope to have even more there next month.

“They should both be great events bringing a buzz to the borough.”

 

Blackburn Beat, funded by Blackburn and Darwen Council, will take place on King William Street on Saturday, (August 23).

The Festival will comprise a plethora of local delights all sourced from a 20 mile radius of the town.

There will be live music, real ale, arts/crafts, family fun, food, chocolate and lots lots more.

Starting at 11am, the music stage will be hosted by local radio station The Bee. The timings for the day are as follows:

11am – 11.45  Ella Shaw
11.45 – 12.00  The Bee
12.00 – 12.45  The Retrosette’s
12.45 – 13.00  The Bee
13.00 – 13.45  Chris Scott Band
13.45 – 14.00  The Bee
14.00 – 14.45  New York Tourists
14.45 – 15.00  The Bee
15.00 – 15.45  Jeramiah Ferrari
15.45 – 16.30  The Bee
16.30 – 18.00  Dodgy