Local People Invited To Join The Derby Festé Line-Up
Be part of this year’s Derby Festé (Friday September 22 and Saturday September 23) and join the magical community procession.
Organisers of this September’s Derby Festé are inviting local people to join some of the top European acts that will be performing at the two-day outdoor festival in the largest ever community procession.
Derby Festé is the East Midlands’ flagship arts and cultural festival which attracts over 30,000 visitors to enjoy dance, circus, acrobatics, music and theatre across various locations within Derby’s city centre from Friday 22 to Saturday 23 September.
The River Life procession will take place on Saturday evening day two of Derby Festé starting from 6.15pm.
The river-themed extravaganza will start at Cathedral Green and flow beside the river path behind Premier Inn, ripple over the Exeter Bridge and then dance through to the River Gardens and back where participants and spectators alike will be treated to surprise acts along the way and a spectacular pyrotechnic display at 9.15pm.
Thousands of people are expected to join the community procession which will bring the city to life with carnival costumes and dancers, samba drumming, movement and creativity, river creatures and glowing insects, and fire breakdancing.
The procession will include performers from some of the top acts who are appearing during Derby Festé including Compagnie Quadams, Autin Dance Theatre, Sound Catchers, Chris & Ruth Lewis Jones, The Feste Samba Band, Nathan Gerring aka Awesome Wolf, Lost Boys, Calidoscopio, MProductions, Déda Dancers.
Members of the public are invited to pre-book and attend free workshops in the coming weeks which will then secure their place in the procession as well as hundreds of others who are able to join on the night.
Firstly, drumming workshops will be held at Déda in Chapel Street on September 2 and 16 between 1.30pm and 4.30pm where participants can learn traditional and contemporary drumming skills.
A dance workshop will also be held at the venue on Saturday September 16 between 2pm and 4pm to learn the performance routine and help make fabric fish which will feature in the procession. Places need to be pre-booked and are open to anyone aged six and above.
Finally, a series of River Life-making workshops will be held at the Museum of Making between 1 and 23 September where families are invited to create sculptures and placards which they can then hold aloft and animate the procession.
Festé producer Manya Benensonsaid: “Now in its 15th year, Derby Festé has built a reputation for presenting work of national and international recognition for audiences to experience and delight in.
“The parade has long been an integral part of the festival and this year we wanted to combine the magic of the professional acts with the joy and enthusiasm of local people joining together side by side to create an unforgettable procession in Derby.
“We hope that people across the city will embrace the opportunity to be part of the Festé programme.”
To book on the workshops visit https://www.derbyfeste.com/front-page/takepart/
For more information about watch spots and advice on how best to enjoy the evening go to FAQs on the Derby Festé website https://www.derbyfeste.com/event/riverlife-procession/
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