Super Heroes, Comedy and Entertainment Blast Off in Derby Cathedral Quarter

Super Heroes, Comedy and Entertainment Blast Off in Derby Cathedral Quarter

Derby Comedy Festival will burst into life in the Cathedral Quarter on Saturday April 15 with  free entertainment for all the family between 11am and 3pm in the Market Place.

‘Blast Off!’ will be the launch event for Derby Comedy Festival (Friday May 5 to Sunday May 14). It has been produced by FFTS Events Ltd and supported by the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID).

‘Blast Off’ again has a super hero theme this year and will be part of the first CQ Saturdays Knickerbocker Glorious entertainment event of 2017, which will then be held on the third Saturday of every month on the Market Place right the way through to December.

The CQ Saturdays programme is a key part of the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) programme and was particularly highlighted by the judges who crowned the Cathedral Quarter the best city centre location in the recent Great British High Street Awards.

On Saturday April 15 members of the public will be encouraged to dress up as their favourite super hero or create one of their own and then parade down the cat walk to enrol in the ministry of super hero silly walks.

The stage will also be set for a diverse line up of music, dance and variety performances as well as sneak previews of upcoming Derby Comedy Festival shows, interactive entertainment and super hero photo opportunities.

Three acts will be headlining on the day.

Singer songwriter Yakobo will be performing his repertoire which draws together timeless song writing influences and an intense performance energy that has been compared to Jeff Buckley, Pink Floyd and Bon Iver. 

Yakobo is also known for creating soundtracks for films and video games, including The Turing Test (Bulkhead Interactive, 2016).  The first stage of his EP triology ‘Maybe The Land Was Just a Dream’ will be released through all major digital outlets on April 7.

The Diana Mehira School of Dance will take to the stage performing a range of Oriental dance styles.

The dance school is lead by professional dancer and instructor Diana Mehira who began her dance career back in 1998 in Derby.

Regarded as one of the UK's top instructors, her career highlights so far include- teaching and performing at a number of festivals such as Jewel of Yorkshire, MAJMA in Glastonbury and Fantasia in London as well as the International Gala show in Vienna, Austria.

In 2013 her dance company Arjana won 3rd place at Miss Bellydance UK competition. Currently, Diana Mehira is working on directing, choreographing and producing a new show featuring top quality Classical Egyptian and Oriental dance with her company Arjana Dance.

Also on stage will be the award-winning Derby Rock Choir - described as a ‘multi-layer singing experience’ using the power of music to make new friends and perform at life changing events.

Formed ten years ago, Derby Rock Choir brings choirs together from all over Derbyshire and was last seen at The Winter Wonderland event in Market Hall, December 2016.  They will be performing a number of well-known popular music and stage hits.

Derby Comedy Festival will feature a line up of local, national and emerging comedy talent at various venues across the city.  Venues in the Cathedral Quarter include The Old Bell Hotel on Sadler Gate, Bean Caffé at Friar Gate Studios, The Blessington Carriage, the Guildhall Theatre and Clubrooms and QUAD in the Market Place.

Derby Comedy Festival is produced by Furthest From The Sea CIC, FFTS Events Ltd, Derby Live, Lost Boys, Derby Live, NCF Comedy, Funhouse Comedy, QUAD and Derby Theatre with support from Cosy Club, Cathedral Quarter Derby and Trent Barton.

As well as hosting events, businesses in the Cathedral Quarter will be supporting Derby Comedy Festival with a number of special offers and promotions.

Martin Langsdale is chair of the Cathedral Quarter board and management group, which drive forward activities under the area’s BID status.

He said: “The Great British High Street Award judges were particularly impressed with how the Cathedral Quarter BID organises its own events and works in partnership with other organisations to showcase and promote such a diverse range of cultural activities.

“The Cathedral Quarter continues to play an important role in Derby’s growing calendar of festivals which have something for everyone throughout the year.

“We are particularly proud of the fantastic range of free street entertainment and tours under the CQ Saturdays programme with something happening every Saturday in the Spring and Summer months.

“The Cathedral Quarter is home to most of the city’s premium leisure and cultural venues who offer a rich tapestry of events, performances and exhibitions.

“We hope that this event and those planned throughout the Spring and Summer will encourage more people into the Cathedral Quarter and, whilst they are here, to enjoy everything that this unique and diverse area has to offer.”

Dan Webber from Furthest From The Sea CIC concluded: “Last year’s ‘Blast Off’ was a fantastic super humorous family fun day and everybody really got into the super hero spirit of things.

“This year will be even bigger with something for everyone and will certainly whet the appetite for the annual Derby Comedy Festival which will take the city by storm in May.”

Information about this and all the events in the Cathedral Quarter are available at www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk; on Twitter @DerbyCQ and Facebook CathedralQuarterDerby.

For information about Derby Comedy Festival please visit www.derbycomedyfestival.co.uk

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