The Pendle Festival of Culture and Peace Walks part of This is Nelson coming soon

The Pendle Festival of Culture is part of This is Nelson, which is the arts and culture strand of the Nelson Town Deal.

The Festival is taking place along Market Street and Scotland Road from noon to 6pm. The theme of this year’s festival is “Proud to be Pendle” in celebration of Pendle Council’s 50th birthday.

The festival will feature a spectacular line-up of local and international musicians and performers, including Aaron Hipgrave- Lewis, Sista Jam, BlowJangles, The Nasheed Choir, Stone the Crows, and headlining the event will be internationally renowned British – Indian Banghra artist, H-Dhami. There will also be art workshops, craft stalls, face-painting, character appearances, street food, spoken word, storytelling and funfair rides.

Community groups and residents have also been helping shape the Festival Arch, an art installation from artist and design collective Dual Works.

Over the festival weekends, the structure will welcome guests and become a pop-up space to interact with.

Kicking off the day will be the arrival of the Peace Walks – walk leaders will guide people along the routes starting from Brierfield, Colne and Barrowford crossing through scenic countryside before joining together along the canal and making their way into the centre of town.

To join the Brierfield to Nelson walk, meet at 9-45am at the main entrance of Pendleside Hospice on Colne Road. To join the Colne to Nelson walk, meet at 9-45am at St Bartholomew’s Church, Ivegate, Church Street, Colne. And to join the new route Barrowford to Nelson, meet at 9-45am at Pendle Heritage Centre, Colne Road Barrowford.

All groups, families, organisations and individuals are invited to decorate a flag that they can carry with them on the day. The flag is an expression and celebration of how people connect to the chosen theme through words, images and colour.

Holly Noonan of Building Bridges Pendle, said: “Please come along and join us at this fantastic event, especially if you’ve never been before. We have a wonderful opportunity to come together to celebrate our cultures, communities and each other.”

There will be something for everyone, with a Young Person’s Makers market, interactive street-based Climate Fresk and Climate Talkaoke, where anyone can join and share their views on the climate crisis. For those who missed This is Nelson’s ‘Stories We Tell: Nelson’, an immersive audio experience celebrating the stories and lives of ordinary residents, there will be chance to hear the audio alongside footage from the events, plus find out more about This is Nelson.

Over at 3B Systems, visitors can add their audio to the Nelson Sound Map and enjoy interactive artist-led play sessions from Hwa Young Jung who has been recruiting local people for Nelson’s first ‘Play Respond Unit’. Visitors can also have a go at immersive digital experiences created by students from Nelson and Colne College alongside Associate Artist and Nelson Reimagined curator Andy Abbott.

At 2pm there will be an ‘in-conversation’ between the artists, Boff Whalley, Burnley-raised musician, writer, fell runner and playwright best known as lead guitarist for the anarcho-punk and folk band Chumbawamba, and Emma Bearman of Playful Anywhere.

For more information about the Festival and to register for The Peace Walk and flag kit, email [email protected]