Saw a bumble bee the other day. A bumble bee, everyone, a bumble bee! A couple of weeks ago we were trapped under twenty foot of snow like the Star Wars planet Hoth, now spring is in full swing. Without getting over-excited, there’s a ton of great events on our calendar this April, but May, well, May really is the start of the silly season, and there’s festivals-a-plenty….locally too!
Bank Holiday 4-7th May: it’s all jazz-hands, for it’s the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, but hey, cool man, if you want to stay local, you’re on the right page! On the Saturday 5th it’s the Seend Summer Beer Festival. Tickets are £12 on sale from the community centre and post office.
Same day, head to the Woolbridge Inn Pewsey for the first ever two day HOPDOG Ale, Cider & Sausage Festival. There’s limited space camping, book soon. Adult tickets at a tenner, 3 quid for kids, add an extra £6pppn for camping. Then you can expect Ale, Cider, Sausages, Bouncy Castle (couldn’t eat a whole one of those,) plus Arts and Crafts table and the completely bonkers Mad Pete entertaining the kids. There’s also a great live music line-up: Ren Stedman, Larkin, Brian Stone Music and the awesome Urban Lions. Plus Sunday with Cressers Last Stand, Neighbourhood Strange and Dub the Earth. To book tickets call on 01980 630266 or visit the ticket payment page http://buytickets.at/woodbridgeinn/151298 or Facebook.
Monday the 7th is the Devizes Lions May Fair: Going ahead this year it’s fun for all the family at Devizes Market Place from 9:00am. Live Music, Punch and Judy, The Male Majorettes which never fail to amuse, Steam Engine and Organ, Bouncy Castles, Children’s rides, Charity stalls and more. Fantasy Radio and the Cadet Forces will be in full force, which one of them will play Status-Quo first?!
And let’s not forget your tucker now, for the Devizes Food and Drink Festival starts here, with the Grand Market on Saturday 12th.
On May 12th head for Calne, where the Town Hall hosts Calne In Tune, a Performing and Creative Arts, and Craft Extravaganza. Calne in Tune are currently campaigning for their own arts space, please show your support for this cracking DIY event.
26th May and things are heating up. Billy Ocean, yeah, Billy Ocean, I’ll say it again shall I? Billy Ocean, The Stranglers, Paul Carrack, From the Jam, Animals & Friends and the John Coghlan’s Band- damn your eyes sir, what a superb line-up happening in the usually sleepy village of All Cannings. Face it, The Kings Arms is gorgeous place to visit on any day, but the Concert at the Kings, in aid of Cancer Research, takes no prisoners when the going gets tough.
Failing this, you’ve only to turn your head 360 degrees and head to Bromham, for it’s OwlFest (see what I did there?) Set to be the most musical one yet, from 3pm you’ve a plethora of local talent, from the incredible George Wilding, the wonderful Tamsin Quinn and the mighty Mike Barham and Calne’s amazing Jezilyn Martyn. There’s intriguing agricultural hip-hop scrumpy and western rap with Mamesbury’s Corky, the madness of Surfin Turnips, and the sounds of MiddleEarth with Bilbo Baggins and the Bargain Hunters and, and, and, and it’s FREE…… unless you want to sample the range of ciders from the cider bar (arm twisted) you’ve only to cough up six quid for the wristband. This one is must, unless you’re name is Billy Ocean.
Get out of my dreams mate, and into the local festival circuit. But don’t go reaching for your festival jester’s hat and pink shades forgetting there’s a tonne or three of other amazing events across our sleepy neighbourhood during April and May, check Devizine as regularly as you check your hair, and you’ll be there.
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