May Twenty Twenty Two Is Going To Be A Very Special Month This Year.
Not Because It’s My Birthday And No, I Don’t Know What The Weather’s Going To Be Like. But What I Do Know Is, You Will Want To Be Here.
Lancaster has always prided in self on its size. Its City centre has had little scope to expand and when a development proposal came along ten years ago, the business community resisted it arguing that it would ruin the balance of the City.
Just as nature and the whole ecosystem is finally balanced, so are City centres. One minor change can be the catalyst that brings about severe consequences. Lancaster’s unique selling point has always been its strength and depth in quality independent businesses. The inner circle of Lancaster, the City centre, is Georgian with the next ring, residential, being largely Victorian. Compact and constrained physically has worked perfectly to cultivate the independents dominance.
Everything is within a good five minute walk and that includes assets such as Lancaster Castle, the Judges Lodgings, the City Museum and the Maritime Museum. The grounds behind Lancaster Castle and Lancaster Priory cascade down to Quay Meadow, from where you can access St Georges Quay.
Climb up East Road, and you’ve got the Ashton Memorial, sat proudly in its fifty four acres of beautiful parkland, boosting views of not only the City, but also Morecambe Bay and the south Lake District beyond. Although it’s less than a mile from the centre, it’s a twenty minute walk. There you find yourself at the highest point of Lancaster and also home to the aptly named music festival …….
HIGHEST POINT
This year, the massively popular festival, takes place over three days, Thursday the 12th to Saturday the 14th of May. Each day has its own Headline Act performing on the Main Stage; Richard Ashcroft, Clean Bandit and the Kaiser Chiefs, respectively. This is the second year for Clean Bandit who headlined with the likes of James, Becky Hill, Rudimental, Rick Astley, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Rag’n’Bone Man, last year.
This year there will be up to fifty Artists performing on the numerous stages located throughout the park (see highestpoint.co.uk for full line-ups and ticket sales). There will be an eclectic mix, from Hip-Hop to Rock, from Solo Artists to Bands and let’s throw in some pretty awesome, renowned DJ’s for good measure.
Due to the incredibly reasonable ticket prices and fabulous line-ups, people have previously stayed over and attended a few, if not all, days, making most of their visit to Lancaster, so book your accommodation quickly.
The organisers have hit on a truly winning formula; location, venue and line-ups. Although in its infancy compared to some other Events, ‘Highest Point’ has been an instant success, selling out to capacity audiences whilst offering safety and convenience to all who attend.
They operate a cashless wristband payment system for all the great food and drink stalls which is easily topped up online or via an App. The viewing area’s for each performance stage are well monitored to ensure not only safety, comfort and enjoyment as well.
This is not an event located in a rural field where tents and compost loos form part of the experience. Rather, this is a festival held in a stunning park on the edge of a historic City, with unparalleled views and a feeling that is reflective of Lancaster itself, intimate.
Attendees will have the option to stay over in luxurious accommodation, complete with stunning en suite facilities and wonderful breakfasts. As the performances start in the afternoon, that leaves the mornings to peruse the City and even grab a spot of lunch before heading up to the Park (see ‘Where to Stay’ & ‘Where To Eat’ at www.totallylocallancaster.co.uk).
Whether music festivals are or aren’t your thing, Lancaster’s second major Event of May is a firm family favourite. It appeals to everyone, regardless of age or sex ……..
LANCASTER FESTA ITALIA
This year we, Totally Local Lancaster CIC, will be organising the Event ourselves. The shackles are off. ‘Festa 22’ will be as was originally intended. For those that loved the event in 2018 and 2019, 2021 was a scaled back version due to Covid concerns, this years is going to be on another level.
The precursor will be the arrival, in early May, of the Italian bunting and banners, both announcing the dates of Festa (21st-29th May) and acknowledging all the very generous Sponsors. Throughout the Festa nine day period, many of the hospitality businesses will be offering Italian food and drinks as ‘Specials’, in support of the Event. During the first weekend (21st & 22nd May) there will be some pop up Acts, random and without notice.
However, we now serve notice that on the 24th May there will be a ‘Tribute to Italy’ at the Lancaster Grand Theatre, where ‘The Turning Point Theatre Arts’ will perform a collection of beautiful modern dances to some Italian classics. Following an interval, the audience will be treated to the ‘Wind Quintet, players from Lancaster’s Haffner Orchestra’, playing a stunning programme from the likes of Rossini and Puccini (go to lancastergrand.co.uk for more info and ticket sales).
Thursday the 26th of May, a number of the Bars will dedicate the evening to Italy by playing Italian music. This coincides with a first. Lancaster will host an award ceremony for the ‘Best Italian Actor’ in a series screened in the UK. Although we know who the winner is, we are contractually bound not to publicise the name until a Press Release has been released in Italy. The winner will be flying in on the 26th of May and will stay until the afternoon of the 29th, during which time they will receive the Award and make a number of appearances including a few meet and greet opportunities.
For those who may fancy a little bit of Opera, that comes courtesy of the ‘Castle Opera Company’. There will be two performances, one each on the evenings of the 28th and 29th of May, at the majestic Lancaster Castle. This will be an Opera Gala evening with music from lots of different operas, and music that is both well known and not so well known.
There will be some individual arias, but also scenes/ensembles. Some sections of the evening will involve two or three sections from the same Opera which will be linked together. Everything will be introduced by a narrator, and the singers will sing in character and act out the scene. It’s intended to be accessible to those who might never have been to an Opera before but is likely to include items from operas by Verdi (Traviata, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forsa del Destino) Puccini (Madam Butterfly), Donizetti, Mozart’s Italian operas (Don Giovanni, Clemenza di Tito, Figaro).
Sunday 29th May. The Main Day, the Grand Finale. More vehicles. More activities. More locations. More Entertainment …..
Lancaster Castle will for the first time play host to Festa. The ‘Bambino Zone’ and much of the children’s entertainment will be located here, along with some very special artisan stalls and vehicles galore outside the imposing walls .
Roman soldiers patrolling the City, keeping order, whilst the gladiators battle it out. Down in the centre there will be dancers and singers, cooking demonstrations, food zones, produce and wine stalls and a bar area.
The Plinth in Market Square will be used as the Main Stage whilst Church Street, the former Roman road that led to their Fort, will again host Ferrari’s, Ducati’s, Vespa’s, Lambretta’s and the odd Lamborghini.
Free programmes will be available at our Stand on the day. In the meantime, check out our Facebook page (lancasterfestaitalia) for the latest announcements.
The biggest Italian Festa, Lancaster has seen, in over sixteen hundred years !
Paul Cusimano
