mainstage - Crawley Festival

MAINSTAGE



Mainstage is the finale event for the Crawley Festival and takes place in the Memorial Gardens in Crawley town centre during the afternoon of the final Saturday of the Festival.

A large covered stage is fully equipped with a professional sound system.
Qualified engineers are on hand to help the best local bands, dancers, performers and musicians to put on a display to professional standards.

There are workshops and exhibitions where people can have a go at learning a new skill, get tips from practicing artists and workshop leaders to develop their hidden talents or just enjoy watching others taking part. In past events workshops included street dance, Irish dance, drama,  African drumming,  clay modelling and arts and craft activities. There are also an arts and photography exhibition and a digital arts installation.

In 2011, the stage was proud to host an array of talented teenage musicians from a major Youth Music funded project led by Crawley Festival. Over 20 youngsters showcased original material as an illustration of the variety of musical styles from the town’s young music scene. Different cultural groups provided recipe ideas in cooking demonstrations and food tasting opportunities in a celebration of their heritage at the Cultural Kitchen. There was a range of art workshops with Ginger Moo, Sarah Maple and Sam Murray, digital animation, exhibitions, street theatre and tips on how to look after yourself and your town and live a healthier life led by Southern Water.

Mainstage aims to reduce barriers to participation by allowing free admission and taking advantage of an open and easily accessible site on a busy shopping route in the town centre. As well as providing a showcase for performances from a range of sections of the community, the event also provides opportunities for participation which aim to cross social, ethnic and age boundaries.

These different elements are brought together in one space as a celebration of the wealth of talent and the different cultures in the town to provide a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere which promotes social cohesion and a genuine sense of civic pride for Crawley.