Godiva Festival returns to Coventry

Thousands of visitors are expected in Coventry this weekend, for the annual Godiva Festival.

Last minute preparations are being made at War Memorial Park today, where local performers and artists will take centre stage.

Headliners at this year’s event include Rudimental, former Spice Girl Melanie C, and Coventry's own indie-rockers - The Enemy.

This year’s Godiva Festival is celebrating the city’s exciting cultural sector by hosting more cultural performers and artists than ever before.

Two stages at the Coventry City Council run festival are dedicated to giving platforms to rising stars of the city and showcasing a variety of cultural performances. The stages – Ancient Futures Stage and The Resonate Stage – will see singers, rappers, poets, spoken word artists, DJs and dancers perform over the festival weekend.

The new Ancient Futures Stage will be the home of local artists for the weekend, but it will also see two Ancient Futures performances. The show which is co-produced by Unlimited Theatre and Upswing, is inspired by Afrofuturism, and blends dance, contemporary circus, and storytelling with West African folklore.

Imagineer and Media Mania are presenting the Powerhouse Youth Zone which includes The Resonate Stage, and will feature spoken word artists, singer song writers, rappers, and vocalists. There will also be visual art structures from the Transformations programme, high wire and aerial performances from Circolumbia and Rebel Manifesto Aerial, dance from Elite and GAPA, performances from Open Theatre and the DJ Shed, and activities and information from youth focused services.

Taking over The Next Stage on the Friday is a collection of artists from the Love and Madness label. The artists, brought together by local programmer Sam McNulty, all feature on the label’s debut EP 'Who's Blue' which was made possible thanks to Arts Council England funding.

"Some unique performances"

Councillor David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, which includes arts and culture, said: “This year’s Godiva Festival will really highlight the cultural talent we have here in Coventry.

“We’ve worked closely with organisations in the sector to support local artists and ensure they have a platform at this year’s festival, and we will continue to work in this way through our new Coventry Culture Works partnership. These organisations are also holding cultural activities for attendees to take part in – hopefully they inspire the city’s future creatives.

“I encourage those who are attending the festival to visit our Ancient Futures Stage and The Resonate Stage to support the city’s local artists and experience some unique performances.”

Councillor Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader at Coventry City Council and Cabinet Member for Events, added: “Each year our much-loved Godiva Festival has an incredible line-up which includes international stars alongside our talented local performers.

“As always, there’s something on offer for people of all ages across the weekend. From The Enemy headlining on Friday night, to roaming dinosaurs in the family field on Sunday afternoon, Godiva Festival caters for all.

“If you’ve not already planned to join us for this year’s event, there’s still time to get tickets! It really is an incredible value day out.”

For the first time ever, Imagineer’s giant Godiva will be at the festival to greet attendees. Those who visit the Powerhouse Youth Zone will have the opportunity to puppeteer Godiva herself.

Ticket prices for this year’s event start at £8 for an adult day ticket. Family day ticket prices start at £23, and premium tickets cost £55 per day. All tickets can be purchased via the Godiva Festival website. The full cultural offer, including the line-up for the Ancient Future Stage and The Resonate Stage can be viewed on the Godiva Festival website.

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