A festival of contemporary arts and making, in Kendal and the Lake District 6 – 8 September 2019
Lakes Alive has announced its programme for its fourth free festival of contemporary arts and making and invites everyone to come and be inspired in our magnificent landscapes.
Lakes Alive returns to venues throughout Kendal, Brockhole on Windermere, Grizedale Forest and Grasmere with a daytime and evening programme of vibrant illuminations, digital delights, spectacular happenings and performances – dance, music and play – presented by international and British artists.
Artists, performers and musicians present a programme of events for you to hear, watch, take part in and be amazed by. Many have worked with local communities to develop unique commissions for this year’s festival.
Kendal’s annual outdoor dining experience of sharing, music, dance and merriment, Jacob’s Join, opens the festival on Friday 6 September along the Riverside behind Abbot Hall Park.
Last year hundreds of people enjoyed dancing and feasting with family, friends and strangers before parading up to Kendal Castle. This year, party revellers will dance to an Asian beat and Dhol drummers will accompany the snaking parade to an ‘out of the world’ experience at the Castle. Fantastic Planet, two huge humanoid figures will be in temporary residence amongst the castle ruins, awaiting your company.
Festival Director, Phillippa Haynes said: “It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to Lakes Alive 2019, our free festival of contemporary arts and making. We have spectacular happenings in magnificent landscapes to stimulate your senses and invite you to pause for thought.
Watch breath-taking, visually stunning and highly engaging performances, wonder at vibrant illuminations and be part of intimate performances. Let Congregation, a magic sonic sphere or the Heavy Metal Detectors, a cross-between walking tour and immersive rock performance lead you through the streets of Kendal, listen to poems composed for you at The Poetry Jukebox or stop a while at Colony, in a park that has been converted into a sonar landscape
I invite you to just dip a toe in or dive in head first, to bring your family, or a friend and bring a sense of fun and enjoy.”
Kerry Powell, LDNP Director of Communications and Resources said: “The Lake District National Park is excited to be bringing its fourth Lakes Alive festival to Lake District. Each year we have been enthralled, captivated and entertained by some of the best contemporary art presented in our heritage town and living landscapes.
This year I have been particularly fascinated by the work being done by the Lakes Alive team and festival artists in our communities. I am looking forward to the stories produced by the 180 school children who have contributed to We Are Stardust, the performance of TOPOS by the Cumbrian Youth Dance in collaboration with Wired Aerial Theatre and to hearing Propellor Ensemble’s performance of Loom for which three local groups have been working with acclaimed composer and ensemble leader Jack McNeil to produce compositions inspired by the ensemble’s methods of capturing and interweaving local stories and sounds. These creative collaborations are evidence of just how Lakes Alive is connecting people throughout the Lake District.”
Lakes Alive Festival continues to contribute to Cumbria’s lively festival calendar and offers residents, visitors, curious families and art-lovers a different interpretation of our magnificent landscapes.
The complete programme is at lakesalive.co.uk.
