Regeneration
Walsall MakerFest Acts officially unveiled
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Asifa Lahore, Rhythms Del Toro and Millicent Chapanda and are among the musicians revealed for Walsall MakerFest this September and it’s completely free.
This September Walsall MakerFest, a free one-day festival, will shine a spotlight on and celebrate the rich and diverse creative community within Walsall and the Black Country. Taking place on Saturday 7 September 2024 from 11am-5pm, the festival will feature live music, dance, a makers’ market, street food, workshops, storytelling, fashion show and pop-up shops.
A showcase of live music at The Crossing at St Paul’s in the town centre will feature performances from a range of talented local musicians across musical genres from reggae to blues and Latin to Motown.
Musicians include:
- Rhythms Del Toro, a 7-piece international collective delivering popular classics in an explosive Latin style. 4.00pm - 5.00pm
- Spice up your life with Asifa Lahore’s stunning cabaret performance! A performer, drag queen and multilingual voice for intersectional rights, Asifa will also be compèring the live music stage. 3.10pm - 3.40pm
- Janel Antoneshia is a Black Country based Jamaican singer known for her distinctive voice and seamless blend of nu soul and reggae. 2.35pm - 3.05pm
- Millicent Chapanda, a Walsall-based Zimbabwean Shona cultural artist, traditional mbira player, percussionist and singer. 2.00pm - 2.30pm
- Elle-J Walters is a Birmingham-based songwriter. Touring nationally and internationally, she has supported artists like Shalamar, The Real Thing and Hot Chocolate. 1.25pm - 1.55pm
- The 2Ds will open the show with their infectious performance of old school Motown and Northern Soul hits. 12.50pm - 1.20pm
“ MakerFest is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the wealth of incredible talent we have locally. I encourage you all to mark calendars for September 7th and join us. Let’s celebrate the talents who make our borough so special. “
“ I am so excited and looking forward to performing at Walsall MakerFest. I encourage everyone to come out and experience authentic traditional live music, as we collectively celebrate this festival as a vibrant diverse community. “
Walsall MakerFest’s live music offer will culminate in a free evening concert at St Matthew’s Church. People Sing, from 5-7pm will feature local choirs St Matthew’s Community Choir, Blue Lights and Voices Entwined.
Walsall MakerFest is delivered by Walsall Council in partnership with local non-profit Urban Hax CIC, The New Art Gallery Walsall and Walsall Cultural Compact. It has been supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)’s Cultural Development Fund: Round Three through Arts Council England. The festival is part of the borough's £1.5 billion transformation plan, which includes developing the town’s historic Guildhall into a thriving creative industries enterprise centre.
For more information on the full programme of events visit Walsall MakerFest | Walsall Council and follow @walsallmakerfest and @ourwalsall on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
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