Arundel Festival 2011 programme launched

More than a dozen brightly-coloured balloons will be making passenger flights over the historic town and the South Downs, and will bring down the curtain on the 2011 festivities with a stunning finale.

A balloon “glow”, with flames from the burners lighting the night sky, and the traditional closing fireworks display on the bank holiday Monday, August 29, should provide a memorable close to what organisers promise will be an “exhilarating” festival.

There wil be five separate balloon launches over the final weekend of the festival and tickets, price £95 each, will be on sale shortly through the festival website.

Ash Kent, the new artistic director of the festival, said: “This year we want to make the most of the stunning setting that Arundel provides.

“From the sight of balloons soaring over the castle, to open-air performances, the festival aims to show off the town’s unique features.

“The festival is going to be fun, dramatic and is fundamentally family-oriented, with something for all ages.”

Arundel Castle will once again feature prominently in the festival, with a Music for a Summer Evening concert by two leading soloists in the Barons’ Hall, also the setting for a performance of Donizetti’s comic opera Don Pasquale, sung in English, and open-air productions of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night, in the stunning Collector Earl’s Garden.

This year’s Arundel Music programme has been scaled back, but will be based around a Music Trail, to add to the festival’s Gallery Trail and Theatre Trail.

Six houses will stage 15-minute performances by classical musicians, with audiences in groups of 15 walking between the concerts.

The Gallery Trail itself will showcase the work of more than 100 artists in 50-plus venues around the town, while the Theatre Trail, celebrating its 10th anniversary, has eight new plays chosen from 85 submitted to the organisers.

They will be performed in pubs, homes and even St Nicholas’ Church.

Special festival productions will also be staged by Arundel Players, the Arundel Jailhouse and Drip Action.

Street theatre is back to its biggest and best this year, with wackiness stalking the town both weekends, and daily doses of entertainment in Town Square as well as performances of live music on the Jubilee Gardens stage both weekends.

Community events continue to be a big part of the festival, including children’s activities, the waiters’ race, marbles championship, 10k run and mullet fishing competition.

We will have lots more coverage in the run-up to the 2011 Arundel Festival, so keep reading the Littlehampton Gazette.