16 days, more than 100 shows and 29,000 tickets sold: Festival tots up its most successful year to date

Norfolk & Norwich Festival 09 ended a bumper year of music, theatre, dance, circus and outdoor events on Saturday 16 May after staging more shows and selling more tickets than at any time in its 238 year history. The sixteen day celebration stretched across 20 separate venues and hosted 1110 UK and international artists.  

Combining new theatre, circus and dance with some of the biggest names in classical and contemporary music and a diverse children’s programme, Norfolk & Norwich Festival now sits among the UK’s leading city festivals.  

Sell out shows included one of today’s most influential composers, Philip Glass, Festival favourites the Tallis Scholars, Mat Fraser’s Burlesque in the Garden of Evil and Smile Off Your Face, a show that invited its audience to experience the show whilst blindfolded and seated in a wheelchair.  

Festival director Jonathan Holloway said: “When I joined the Festival team five years ago, our aim was to take Norfolk & Norwich Festival into the premiere league of UK city festivals.This is the year when we can say that we have truly achieved that ambition.We are attracting world-class performers into Norwich; we are giving more people than ever before the chance to experience this part of the world in a completely new way and we are cementing the reputation of this beautiful county as one of the cultural hotspots of the UK.  

“Without our stakeholders, sponsors, a team of around 100 volunteers and fantastic audiences, none of this would be possible. Norfolk Open Studios will now take us to the end of the month followed by Contemporary Art Norwich in July and August.We will then give ourselves a couple of weeks grace before planning for next year will begin in earnest.”  

Andrea Stark, Executive Director for Arts Council England, East said: “Norfolk & Norwich Festival continues to go from strength to strength and has seen a significant increase in its profile over the last few years bringing stunning national and international performers into the heart of the East of England and fostering the talents and aspirations of the next generation.”  

David White, Chief Executive of Norfolk County Council said: “Norfolk County Council is delighted to be helping the Norfolk & Norwich Festival become the premier performing arts event in the East. This year's Festival offered a tremendous range of high quality and high profile events and artists, which were enjoyed by more people than ever before. We look forward helping the Festival build on this year’s success, and widening its appeal further in future years.”  

Laura McGillivray, Chief Executive of Norwich City Council said: "This year’s Festival has had something for everyone. As a major supporter, we have been very keen to see that as many people as possible have had a slice of the festival cake. Congratulations to the Festival team and thanks to all those who have supported this year's event."  

Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs, National Express East Anglia said: "It has been a fantastic festival, creating a real buzz across the city, with some stunning performances from world class artists. There was something for everyone, with events and excitement from the station to the forum. My favourite moments included children chuckling at Roger McGough's great poems and some breathtaking songs by Ute Lemper during her concert at the Theatre Royal.We can all be proud of a Festival which is really putting Norwich on the map. Well done to Jonathan Holloway and the Festival team! I'm sure we can look forward to an even bigger and better event in 2010!"  

Ian Findlater, Group Business Development Director for May Gurney commented on the MG Free events programme, “Our support for these outdoor events is all about making a difference in the communities where we operate.We know that life isn’t just about making things work beautifully but about making time to enjoy the places where we live. We are proud to have created MG Free and to help make the free events programme at Norfolk & Norwich Festival a great success.”

Norfolk & Norwich Festival records its most successful day for 238 years

Organisers of Norfolk & Norwich Festival today confirmed that Saturday 9^th May broke all previous records for audiences numbers and ticket sales in its 238 year history. 

Over 8,000 attended the Garden Party in Chapelfield Gardens on Saturday with another 8,000 estimated for Sunday, bringing the total for its MG Free programme of outdoor events this year to 27,000 people.

More than 1000 people experienced the Luminarium, Levity III, on Saturday alone, while the opening of the first ever Spiegeltent in Norwich got off to a flying start with two sell-out shows this weekend and tickets selling fast for the rest of the week.

Festival director, Jonathan Holloway said: ‘To be able to say - half way through the Festival - that we’ve had our most successful day ever is momentous, especially when we have so many stellar names yet to come. The final week of the Festival with such a cast of classical and contemporary music, is set to cement the reputation of this region as home to one of the most significant festivals in the UK.’

Highlights for the final week of the Festival include iconic song and chanson diva, Ute Lemper, soul sensation, Mica Paris, jazz legend Courtney Pine and one of the most significant composers of the age, Philip Glass.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival is supported by Arts Council East, Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council and principal sponsor National Express East Anglia.  The MG Free programme of free outdoor events is sponsored by May Gurney.

A Garden Party …and everyone’s invited

Saturday 09 May and Sunday 10 May 2009 Chapelfield Gardens, Norwich

The Norfolk & Norwich Festival Garden Party is a FREE two-day event at the heart of this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Children’s Festival.  It is also a core part of the MG Free programme, sponsored by May Gurney.   

An outdoor extravaganza packed full of free music, theatre, acrobatics and the downright bizarre, The Garden Party is for all ages and all tastes.  Expect to see theatre and acrobatics to make you reel.  Expect the kids to dance, make music or create something extraordinary. Expect to laugh until your belly aches.  

For the weekend of the Garden Party, Chapelfield Gardens will be transformed into Festival Gardens: trees festooned with lights, market stalls selling food and drinks and Speak Easy, an outside bar for the grown-ups.  

“Great art isn’t just for grown ups,” said artistic director, Jonathan Holloway. “It is for absolutely anyone and everyone.  If you haven’t had a troupe of performers create a show exclusively for you; if you don’t usually have time to spend an hour with the kids making a paper garden; or if you thought clowns still wore red noses then join us for an event that will make you fall in love again with life.   

“I love events like the Garden Party … they shake up our routines and make us look at our world with new eyes.  Great art in outdoor spaces is the stuff of memories that will last a lifetime.”  

 Ian Findlater from May Gurney, sponsors of the MG Free programme at Norfolk & Norwich Festival added: “Our support for these outdoor events is all about making a difference in the communities where we operate.We know that life isn’t just about making things work beautifully but about making time to enjoy the places where we live. We are proud to have created MG Free and to help make the free events programme at Norfolk & Norwich Festival a great success.”    

To see the full line-up of fantastic acts performing free at The Garden Party follow this link.

Bombs Per Minute: Norfolk & Norwich Festival lights up Earlham Park in a dramatic display of pyrotechnical wizardry

Last night the most spectacular MG Free event of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival to date sent over 1,200 fireworks exploding across the Norwich skyline in a 40 minute show that combined powerful theatre and percussion with a huge display of stunning firework artistry.  

Festival organisers today confirmed that an audience of more than 5,000 people gathered in Norwich’s Earlham Park to witness the ‘Bombs per Minute’ event last night performed by acclaimed French pyrotechnic company, Les Commandos Percu.  On Friday 1 May, performances by gliding street band Fanfare Le Snob in central Norwich attracted audiences topping 5,000, confirming 2009 as a record-breaking year for the Festival’s MG Free outdoor events programme.  

Saturday night's show was performed by a troupe of ‘fireworkers’ who conducted an orchestra of choreographed fireworks to create a blazing tapestry in the city’s skies.   “The atmosphere last night was electrifying,” said Festival artistic director, Jonathan Holloway. “The combination of spectacular showmanship and a thoroughly energised audience was thrilling.  It’s fantastic that companies of this quality are now such a regular feature of the Festival’s programme.”  

Ian Findlater from May Gurney, sponsors of the Festival’s MG Free programme added: “We’re proud to have created MG Free and to help make the free events programme at Norfolk & Norwich Festival a great success.”  

 Norfolk & Norwich Festival continues until 16 May with classical music, jazz, theatre, dance and an expanded children’s programme until 16 of May.  Watch out for details of the Garden Party on the weekend of 9 and 10 May – a two-day FREE event packed with music, circus, comedy, theatre and workshops at Chapelfield Gardens in Norwich.  For more information check local press, call the box office on 01603 766400 or follow this link.

Tickets are selling fast...get yours before it's too late!

Going, going...gone

The clock is ticking for those still hoping to secure tickets to this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival.Festival organisers today confirmed that seats at quite a few of the 102 events scheduled for this May are already sold out, with other shows close to capacity.  

 In spite of the country’s grim economic outlook, ticket-buyers in this part of the world are still getting into the festival spirit and gearing up to experience some of the vast array of performances in the line up this May.Shows by jazz star Andy Sheppard, violinist Nicola Benedetti, the Philharmonia orchestra and festival favourites the Tallis Scholars are among those already sold out, while only a handful of tickets remain for big name shows such as Philip Glass, the world premieres by composer Jonathan Dove with the Festival Chorus and jazz sensation Gwilym Simcock and the debut of Retropect Ensemble.  

 “Naturally we’re thrilled that so many events are selling fast,” said artistic director Jonathan Holloway. “But we want to reassure Festival-goers that if they haven’t got their tickets yet, it’s not too late!If you’ve missed the Benedetti Trio, then come along to hear some sublime sounds from Ilya Gingolts at Norwich Playhouse; if you were hoping catch Andy Sheppard, then come to St Peter Mancroft setting and hear hauntingly beautiful music by jazz legend, Tomasz Stanko.”  

 “What I find each year is that our audiences trust us enough to take a chance and try something completely new while the Festival is on.And the great thing is that there is a really strong free Festival programme again this year, so even if you haven’t got a ticket you can come along and enjoy the experience!”

The festival is coming! [News February 2009]

Tap your toes, stomp your feet, wiggle your hips and draw your breath:  

 THE FESTIVAL IS COMING!

Prepare yourself for sixteen days of extraordinary music, dance, theatre, cabaret and circus as scores of world-class performers from across the globe converge on the East of England for Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2009.From the 1^st to the 16^th May this year, Festival organisers promise to transform the city of Norwich into a pulsating capital of culture where the boldest and brightest of international stars will take up residency in the city’s theatres, music venues and open spaces. 

New for 2009 is the Festival’s own magical space in the heart of Norwich:Chapelfield Gardens will be reinvented as Festival Gardens filled with beautiful sights and exquisite performances.At its heart will sit a Spiegeltent – meaning mirrored tent – a traditional European-style wooden structure with intimate booths and a bar, where audiences will be able to take in the best contemporary dance, opera, cabaret and burlesque shows.  

This year’s highlights include world premieres, Festival commissions and a generous helping of international celebrities.The popular children’s programme is bigger than ever and this year’s Festival kicks off with a spectacular free launch event in the centre of Norwich to get your pulse racing to the Festival beat.  

Spectacular outdoor programme

Opening the Festival at The Forum on May 1 will be two FREE outdoor musical-comedic performances by Ulik and Le SNOB, the incredible gliding street band from France whose GLISSSSSSSSSENDO is by turns heroic, glorious and hilarious.Hot on their heels will be the loudest show in town: Bombs per Minute combining explosive percussion with amazing fireworks, leading French pyrotechnicians Les Commandos Percu will blaze across the Norwich skyline in an unforgettable free performance in Earlham Park.    

Biggest children’s programme to date

Building on the extraordinary popularity of last year, the 2009 children’s programme is bigger than ever.More performances.More shows. Buckets of free stuff for everyone to see and do.  

 Everyone’s invited to the Garden Party on 9^th and 10^th May in Festival Gardens (Chapelfield) where top outdoor performers from the UK and all over the world converge for two days of fabulous family frolics that won’t cost you a penny.

For those with an appetite for more, there’s everything from stand up for kids star Ian Billings to remarkable circus performances by Spainish troupe Circ Panic and a family concert by the London Mozart Players with poet Roger McGough.But watch out for the gruesome Sweeny Todd at the puppet theatre if you’re of a nervous disposition…  

 Extraordinary line up of international stars

 Philip Glass, arguably the world’s most influential living composer, heads up a stellar cast of international stars to take to the Festival stage this year.From the dulcet tones of iconic song and chanson diva, Ute Lemper, to a mesmerising song cycle by one of the world’s greatest sopranos, Dawn Upshaw, this year’s line up is the strongest yet.Legendary Jazz trumpeter, Tomasz Stanko from Poland makes his first Festival visit, while Festival favourites Les Grooms from France return with the world premiere of their rendition of King Arthur.Top dance companies from the UK, Belgium and Australia bring the most stunning contemporary dance to this year’s Festival.  

Week of performances at Norwich Theatre Royal

The second week of the Festival will see a remarkable line up of stars at Norwich Theatre Royal.In addition to the rare opportunity to see Philip Glass in a solo UK performance, this year’s line up includes sweet soul sensation, Mica Paris, and a star studded group of Jazz Warriors led by Courtney Pine.For dance lovers, one of Europe’s leading dance ensembles, les ballets C de la B will perform their new show Ashes and Balletboyz will perform their Greatest Hits, including dances specially created by Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood.For the children a double bill of Circ Panic and the Chipolatas will present a generous helping of acrobatics, circus and all things madcap.Closing this year’s Festival will be an exquisite show the captivating Ute Lemper.  

You saw it here first…

As if all that weren’t enough, this year’s programme is scattered with world premieres and new commissions.Festival goers can witness the first performance of the new piece by celebrated composer Jonathan Dove with the Festival Chorus and the Hewett School Choir, or soak up the jazz sounds of the first showing of young jazz sensation Gwilym Simcock’s new, I Prefer the Gorgeous Freedom with the Voice Project – both Festival commissions with a strong link to the local community.Another key commission for the Festival this year is The Audience, a witty, collaborative piece by Wendy Cope and Roxanna Panufnik written for the Endellion String Quartet.  

Audiences will be the first in the UK to see the new show by New York drag artist, Taylor Mac and the debut performance by the newly formed Retrospect Ensemble (formerly the King’s Consort) before their Wigmore Hall season.And they will be the first in the UK to experience the sensual world of light and colour in the Levity III Luminarium in Festival Gardens.  

 ‘Festivals have never been as important as they are today,’ said Norfolk & Norwich Festival artistic director, Jonathan Holloway.‘I may not know the value of my house in these times of turmoil, but I will always remember the first time I was moved to tears by great music or my first gasp at a piece of theatrical magic.Extraordinary experiences of art and creativity are priceless and last a lifetime.  

 ‘In scale and in ambition, this ancient Festival is now one of the top five city festivals in the UK. But what makes us unique is where we are placed: Norfolk, with its breath-taking scenery and vibrant culture and Norwich, rich in history and architectural beauty make this the very best place in the country for a festival.’  

National Express East Anglia will be the Festival’s principal sponsor, marking the nineteeth year in which the event in May will be supported by the region’s main rail operating company.  

Jonathan Denby, head of corporate affairs for National Express East Anglia said: ‘The Festival and National Express East Anglia have shared an upward trajectory in recent years.  Both have seen significant growth and success in their respective activities.  Our sustained partnership has helped realise our shared commitment to make this region a livelier, more productive and more attractive place to live, work and visit.’ 

Four ‘headline’ performances announced for NNF09 [News December 2008]

The countdown to NNF09 has begun! It’s time to look forward to 16 days in May, packed full of exhilarating, unforgettable performances. And to get you into Festival mood, we’re announcing details of four outstanding events, each featuring leading artists and ensembles from around the world.

A first release of tickets for each of these performances goes on sale from Friday 9 January.

This year’s Festival runs from Friday 1 to Saturday 16 May and the full programme, including an exciting line-up of free events, will be announced at the end of February. Tickets will go on sale on Thursday 26 February.