CQ Saturdays – The Perfect Appetiser for Derby Festé
Derby Cathedral Quarter’s CQ Saturdays September events will give visitors a fantastic flavour of the 2015 Derby Festé programme.
A wide range of street entertainment and events will be held in the Cathedral Quarter as part of the two-day Festé programme on Friday September 25 and Saturday September 26.
In the meantime, there is a host of free entertainment in the area in the run up to the event.
On Saturday September 12 CQ Saturdays Street Circus, presented by the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) and Déda Producing – one of the lead partners in Derby Festé, will return to the Waterfall stage in the Market Place between 11am and 3pm.
Resident compère ChangoFuego will introduce the acts and delight the crowds with his fire artistry and arena of danger.
He will be joined by The Tom Show’s unique blend of uni-cycling, acrobatics, contortionism and comedy as well as Shakespearian flavoured street theatre from Derby’s own 1623 Theatre Company.
Then on Saturday September 19, the weekend before Derby Festé, the Cathedral Quarter will team up with Derby arts organisation Furthest from the Sea to present a day of live music, dance, theatre and comedy at the Waterfall stage from 11am and 3pm.
Handcrafted at the Cathedral Quarter will also return to the Market Place and underneath the Guildhall arches on Saturday September 19 between 10am and 4pm hosting some of the region’s top artisan producers selling everything from jewellery and homewares to fine art and gifts.
Furthermore, every Thursday until September 17, renowned local historian Richard Felix takes visitors on a guided 45-minute lunchtime walk of the Cathedral Quarter from 12 noon.
Tickets cost £6 which includes a voucher for the Cathedral Coffee Shop in Iron Gate and are available on the day from the Cathedral Quarter Rangers on duty in the area or in advance from the coffee shop.
Derby’s Cathedral Quarter is then the perfect place to enjoy Derby Festé, with fantastic independent shops, food and drink establishments and cultural venues.
On Friday September 25, Derby Festé kicks off with an animation projection onto the Silk Mill where the stories of the Joseph Wright Collection come to life (7.30pm to 10pm).
Soul of Fado fire and dance spectacular will be performed on Cathedral Green at 8pm.
The Saurus parade will wind its way through the Cathedral Quarter and into the Market Place between 9pm and 10pm with giant beasts charging through the crowds looking for food to calm their hunger.
On Saturday September 26, the Cathedral Quarter will host a wide range of innovative street entertainment from roving theatre to slapstick comedy, music and aerial acrobatics.
The event will finish on Saturday evening with a fire show in the Market Place and headline act Danbor Talka at nearby Bass’ Recreation Ground.
Martin Langsdale, chair of the Cathedral Quarter Management Group, which drives forward activities under the area’s Business Improvement District status, explained: “CQ Saturdays has been very well received by both businesses and visitors throughout the summer and the September programme is the perfect appetiser for the fantastic Derby Festé programme at the end of the month.
“Many visitors now come into the Cathedral Quarter on Saturdays especially to see the entertainment which is organised by the BID and our arts partners.
“The entertainment has created a vibrant, Covent Garden-style atmosphere in the area which people can sit back and enjoy and then explore the area whether they want to go shopping, have lunch or visit the many cultural venues.
“We are delighted that the Cathedral Quarter features so heavily in the Derby Festé programme and look forward to welcoming festival stalwarts back to the area for the weekend as well as those who will be visiting the city for the first time.”
Information about all the events in the Cathedral Quarter are available at www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk; on Twitter @DerbyCQ and Facebook CathedralQuarterDerby