Lancaster’s Mini Festival of the Arts

Lancaster’s mini-festival of the arts returns on Friday 4th March with music, arts, dance, film and literature.

International Women’s Day leads the charge at this month’s First Fridays event, with the launch of Hear Me Roar, Lancaster’s Feminist Festival, taking place at 7.15pm in the Storey. The public are invited to join this free session to hear about the talks, workshops and special guests taking place over the festival week of 8th-13th March.

First Fridays, Lancaster’s monthly mini-festival of the arts organised by Lancaster Arts City, returns on Friday 4 March with a full day of music, dance, talks, literature and theatre taking place in venues across the city. Many events are free and full details can be found at www.artscity.co.uk/whats-on.

Earlier on First Fridays you can catch anarchic comedies, newsreels and documentaries from the archives of early Suffragette films in the silent era, in The Dukes’ screening of Make More Noise at 4pm. Lancaster University’s Nicola Ronan will give a brief introduction before the screening. Tickets cost £5.50-£6.50.

At 6.30pm, a free dance a music event in the Storey, ‘And what if…?’ will see dance artist Giorgio de Carolis and musician Jon Aveyard perform a series of four scored improvisations. During the evening the scores will be selected by the audience members, aiming to create a playground with an invitation for both performers and spectators to “notice and let go”. The audience members are invited to feel free to watch and leave whenever it feels right.

In the evening, Nick Reay brings years of adventures as a musical traveller to the blissful acoustics of Lancaster Priory, along with some special guests. His show ‘Nick Reay: Troubadour’ starts at 7pm and tickets are £3 on the door.

At 8.15pm Paula Daly, author of psychological and crime fiction novels ‘Just What Kind Of Mother Are You?’ and ‘The Mistake I Made’, will talk to UCLan’s Helen Day on the process of writing a novel and getting it published. Taking place at The Auditorium in The Storey, the evening will include a Q&A, and tickets cost £8-£10 available from Litfest or the Lancaster Visitor Information Centre.

Other events for March First Friday include another chance to see many of the Illuminate artworks created for Light Up Lancaster last year, free in The Storey with artist Vanessa Card, 6 – 8pm, and Irish traditional dance music from ‘Fly in the Porter’ in The Dukes bar from 9.30pm. The First Friday Music Fringe at venues across the city will include Jave & Bad Country performing at the Wagon and Horses, recently re-opened following the flooding earlier this year.

After a brilliant start at February First Fridays, The Choir Crawl is back for a series of pop up local choirs and singing groups performing in venues across the city from noon to 6pm. Groups confirmed so far include Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble, and Specs Appeal (University Lancaster Music Society Barbershop group). Any choirs or singing groups interested in performing on the choir crawl on future First Fridays should get in touch with More Music on [email protected].

As First Fridays continues to grow and encourages Lancaster residents to try out new art and cultural experiences, we are excited that local businesses are also getting involved to take advantage of the crowds. This month, new food joint The Radish, set up by local food entrepreneurs Liz Hayes, Alison Cox, and Charlotte Done, will be holding a late opening on March 4th at their café on New Street with great food available and showcasing some exciting local art.

Partner events also taking place on Friday 4th March include, theatre comedy ‘Stones in his Pocket’ at The Dukes, the North West Literary Salon at Waterstones King Street, and ‘Where Are We Going?,’ a free exhibition exploring the language and journeys of the Syria crisis, by Catriona Stamp in The Gallery at The Storey, 6 – 9pm.

Full details of this month’s First Fridays can be found online at www.artscity.co.uk/whats-on. Lancaster Arts City is promoted by Lancaster Arts Partnership, a consortium of local arts organisations including the Dukes, More Music, Live at LICA and Ludus, working together to promote excellent arts activity in the district.