35 YEARS OF SPONSORSHIP
KEEPING CULTURE ON TRACK
This year marks 35 years of partnership for the Norfolk & Norwich Festival and our regional train operator. The relationship began back in 1990 when, at that point InterCity Anglia, now Greater Anglia, named a Class 86 locomotive after the Festival and it rolled out of Norwich station to begin life serving commuters and visitors across the East of England. This wasn’t just a nod to the region’s oldest and largest arts event, or the role of the railways in bringing culture-hungry visitors to the area – it signalled the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership between the Festival and the railway, founded on shared values of sustainability and community.
One charming tradition to emerge from this partnership is an annual ‘curtain raiser’ event. For nearly 20 years, on the eve of the Festival’s opening day, the concourse at Norwich Station has hosted a surprise pop-up performance by a visiting festival artist. Musicians, dancers, actors, acrobats – performers of all stripes have graced what has become known as the ‘train station moment’ over the years, wowing passengers and passers-by and providing a media moment that heralds the arrival of the Festival.
“It’s a joyful, unexpected experience that captures exactly what we’re all about, full of spontaneity, creativity, celebration, and a little bit of silliness – it’s a perfect symbol of the way Greater Anglia helps bring the Festival to life for so many people.” – Daniel Brine
At the heart of the relationship throughout more than three decades has been Jonathan Denby, Greater Anglia’s Head of Corporate Affairs. Over the 20 years of the train station moment, Jonathan has been joined by four Festival Directors; Peter Bolton, Jonathan Holloway, William Galinsky and now Daniel Brine, to welcome in the Festival.
Although the Norfolk & Norwich Festival locomotive, by then a Class 90 electric, may have been retired from passenger service in 2020, the partnership between the organisations continues to thrive and Jonathan remains enthusiastic about supporting the Festival. “We’re proud to have been part of the Festival’s journey,” he says, “It’s more than sponsorship – it’s a partnership rooted in shared values. We both care deeply about the region and want to see it thrive.”
A number of synergies between our two organisations mean this mutually-beneficial partnership continues to make perfect sense. Every May, the Festival draws thousands of visitors from across Norfolk, Suffolk and far beyond. Trains provide a sustainable, reliable and comfortable way for people to travel and the Festival actively encourages, wherever possible, all artists to make the journey to Norwich by train.
Supporting the Festival isn’t just good for the arts, it boosts local business, tourism and the wider economy. This is not just a question of audiences spending money in the city’s restaurants, cafes and hotels, but a flourishing cultural offer, of which the Festival is a part, that helps attract people to move to the region and encourages those who already live here to stay.
Jonathan recalls many standout moments from the Festival programme, from world-class performances by Ray Davies, Phillip Glass and Ute Lemper, to large-scale public art installations like the Red Ball Project, and even tightrope walker, Chris Bullzini, making his way across Norwich City Centre.
“Every year brings something unforgettable,” he says. “But what really matters is the difference the Festival makes — to local people, to artists, and to the region as a whole. We’re delighted to have played a part in that for the past 35 years, and we’re looking forward to many more.”