The Arches Worcester Festivals
Brand new festivals, showcasing national and international creative talent and supporting local emerging work. Placing culture & creativity at the heart of Worcester.
The Arches Worcester Festivals aims to make a significant difference to Worcester’s cultural offer through a programme of high-quality outdoor events which engage a wide and varied audience. From participatory projects to large-scale commissions, each festival will be different from the last and curated by the Festivals Director.
The Arches Festivals Highlights
Why we joined Without Walls
Being part of Without Walls means The Arches Worcester Festivals have a sector-wide network to work alongside, and as a new organisation this is integral in allowing them to collaborate, co-commission and share industry advice – which is more important than ever in current circumstances.
The support from Without Walls also opens more doors in terms of what they can programme and strengthens links with international potential partners.
The Arches Festivals team
The Arches Worcester Festivals team consists of:
Elaine Knight, Arts Director: Responsible for the strategic planning and development of the entire Arches Festivals project, ensuring it meets the aims and objectives of the funding from DCMS’ Cultural Development Fund.
David Edmunds, Festivals Director: Responsible for curating the artistic programme and for developing the Festivals over the timeline of the project, producing a programme of work that celebrates, inspires and raises the profile of the arts sector in the county and beyond.
Rebecca Phillips, Festivals Producer: Working closely with the Festivals Director on the development, delivery and curation of the festivals, the Festivals Producer is responsible for the successful logistical planning and Event Managing events on the day.
Stephanie Stanesby, Marketing and Communications Manager: Responsible for the development, implementation and management of a marketing and communications strategy and plan for the Festivals Programme within The Arches – Worcester project.
Events at The Arches Worcester Festivals
The Arches Project is one of 5 new DCMS funded projects as part of the Cultural Development Fund; the Arches Festivals is one strand of this project which will see 9 ambitious and high-quality new festivals from 2020-2022 take place across Worcester, including Light Night Worcester and a week-long outdoor arts festival. Working closely with project stakeholders, including Worcester City Council and the University of Worcester, Severn Arts will produce the festivals, bringing the best international and national work to the city.
Severn Arts is a principle partner in this project and is the lead organisation for the Festivals. Severn Arts is a leading arts charity providing education, participation and engagement programmes across Worcestershire. The organisation is ambitious for Worcester and Worcestershire: passionate about building and developing arts projects and opportunities to help raise the city and county’s profile as a vibrant, rich cultural destination.
Audiences at The Arches Worcester Festivals
Our festivals aim to raise cultural ambitions across the city, inspire audiences from Worcester and beyond and introduce attendees to the world of outdoor arts. We will playfully stage the unexpected in public places and green spaces across the city, making a range of events accessible to all.
The audience said:
“I have never seen anything like this before in our city!” – Visitor to Light Night Worcester 2020
“It was also incredible seeing so many people simply enjoying themselves, laughing, smiling & being friendly with each other…There was a special vitality to the streets” – Jean, Festival Volunteer
