Tuesday, 7 November 2006

Hebden Bridge Arts Festival made its 13th year a lucky mix of the best in theatre, music, dance, film and art.

And now, plans are underway for an even bigger and better festival from June 30 to July 15, 2007.

Anyone interested in putting forward ideas or making suggestions is invited to an open meeting on Tuesday, November 28 November from 8pm to 9.30pm in the Arts Festival shop on Albert Street in Hebden Bridge.

People interested in suggesting ideas for the open studios during the festival are being invited to a separate meeting on November 30 at 8pm.

This year’s two-week festival packed in more than 40 performances, including 15 sell-out events. Hundreds of people visited the open gardens and studios and visitors had the chance to try their hand at making music or creating crafts at a series of workshops.

Highlights included Italian theatrical masterpiece Novocento;a chance to meet the BBC’s well-travelled correspondent George Alagiah; hilarious stand-up Jeremy Hardy; en-route from Canada to Edinburgh, the acclaimed Rap Canterbury Tales, and Misunderestimating the President, a wicked exhibition of political cartoons, which attracted more than a thousand visitors.

Other big names were David Benson, with his unforgettable performance Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams; Indian classical virtuosos Raga Nova, and, from Germany, electronic music pioneers Michael Rother and Dieter Moebius. Jin Ju, prize-winner of the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, also gave a recital in Heptonstall Parish Church.

Information about Hebden Bridge Arts Festival 2007 will be available early next year. In the meantime, if you’d like to be kept in touch with what’s planned, e-mail hbfestival@gmail.com or visit www.hebdenbridge.co.uk/festival.

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