1988

The 1988 festival was to be the final triennial and first for artistic director Richard Phillips, who had been brought on board in 1986 and along with Chairman Brian Read was influential in taking the Festival into a new direction.

Despite rival festivals starting up in the city and an increasing amount of other musical and artistic opportunities throughout the year, the Festival made a determined effort to keep ahead of competitors by staging high profile events of unrivalled quality. With ‘a period of such intense artistic activity’, it was hoped that the Festival would gain some momentum and stay at the forefront of people’s minds. The 1988 festival, which had a Dutch theme to many of its events, hosted an unprecedented 23 different art exhibitions, alongside appearances from leading Dutch musicians, in the space of 11 days.

Although sponsorship of individual events had been possible for a number of years, in 1988 corporate patrons were appointed for the first time and the launch of a government sponsorship scheme saw an increase in funds and opportunities for local businesses to get involved. Arts Council funding remained crucial too.

Festival Programme, Courtney Pine, 1988. Image Courtesy of Norfolk & Norwich Festival.

Festival Programme, Henry Wood, 1988. Image Courtesy of Norfolk & Norwich Festival.