Around £70,000 of public funding will allow the 2018 Holmfirth Arts Festival (June 14 to 17) to stage a wide-ranging programme of installations, performances, exhibitions and workshops.
The festival, now in its tenth year, is being funded by the Heritage Lottery, Arts Council, Awards for All, One Community, the Holme Valley Parish Council and Longley Farm.
Highlights will include a community parade, which it is hoped will attract more than 1,000 participants; a Sing Holmfirth event to record and share the choral traditions of the Holme Valley, resulting in a mass choir concert; and an installation, The River of Art, celebrating the River Holme and bringing together outdoor art created by local people.
There will also be concerts, comedy and drama performances, workshops and street theatre.
This year’s parade, on Saturday, June 16, is taking inspiration from the swallow on the festival’s logo and will have flight as its theme. Public workshops are being planned to prepare for the event. Further information on how to get involved is available from holmfirthartsfestival.co.uk
Festival director Bev Adams says funding for arts and heritage is becoming harder to obtain but this year’s grants mean that the festival can commission some large-scale projects. “We can now look forward to delivering a fantastic festival for Holmfirth and beyond,” she added.
