New Fringe Festival before main event
Organisers of Maidenhead Festival are teaming up with top town centre venues to launch an eight-week Fringe Festival in advance of the main event this summer.
The packed programme will showcase local musicians and foster new talent. It will include open mic nights and a battle of the bands competition – the winners of which will open for the headline acts at the Festival’s Saturday night concert.
Fringe events will be hosted at town centre bars Off The Tap, A Hoppy Place, The Maiden’s Head and Potion & Motion.
Run by volunteers, the aim is for the events to be either low cost or free to the public.
Launching on Thursday, May 25, the Fringe Festival will run until Thursday, July 20, finishing just before the main Festival in Kidwells Park on the weekend of July 22-23.
Festival chairman Lisa Hunter said: “Off the back of the very successful and muchloved Maidenhead Festival we’re expanding our programme to include eight weeks of Fringe events in the run-up to the main Festival in July.
“Working with some amazing local venues, our vision is to promote new talent with a varied programme and give a huge boost to the cultural life in the town centre.
“We want the Fringe Festival to be a platform for showcasing some of the extraordinary musicians and performers we have in and around Maidenhead.”
Events will include open mic nights and Music on the Move, where acoustic acts perform at all the Fringe venues on a rotation basis, moving between each one until they’ve played them all.
Lisa said: “Audience members can either move with the acts, or stay put and enjoy the next one.”
A major feature will be a Battle of the Bands, open to musical ensembles of every kind from rock bands to pop and electronic groups. Taking place over three nights, the winner will perform at the main Festival on Saturday, July 22.
Organised by the community for the community, the Maidenhead Festival weekend in July will offer a family-focussed mix of music and entertainment.
And as always festival admission, the on-stage entertainment, children’s beach and the spectacular fireworks display will all be free of charge.
A programme of Fringe Festival events, which is yet to be finalised, can be found at: www.mheadfestival.weebly.com/fringeevents.html
If you are a musician interested in taking part in any of the Fringe Festival events please get in touch at: info@maidenheadfestival.org.uk