September Round Up – Festivals

Expo Leeds: 25 – 28th September
Venues and public spaces across Leeds

Expo is the UK’s largest annual FREE festival of sound art and experimental music presented by Sound and Music and MAAP. This year’s festival lands in Leeds to take over venues and public spaces across the city, showcasing leading artists and fresh newcomers in sound based art and performance. Expo Leeds is an extended weekend of people enjoying, creating, playing, sharing, experiencing, discovering and listening to sonic art. Attend the Expo Unconference at Old Broadcasting House, create your own sound world by interacting with the big screens in Millenium Square or listen to rhubarb grow as part of Expo Live at Holy Trinity. For the full programme please check out the website

ABANDON NORMAL DEVICES: 23rd – 27th September
Venues across Liverpool

Abandon Normal Devices (AND) is a new festival of new cinema and digital culture that will be bursting from screens and galleries into the streets and imaginations of the North-West.  The festival will be hitting Liverpool in September before travelling on to Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester between 2010 and 2012. Expect an eclectic array of screenings, installations, online projects, public realm interventions, workshops and live events, with a distinctive emphasis on ideas and discussion. The festival programme and ticket booking is available on the AND website.

Black Sheep Otley Folk Festival: 17 – 20th September 2009
Various venues around Otley

The Otley Black Sheep Folk Festival is coming of age this year – celebrating it’s 18th birthday -and once again the picturesque market town of Otley will be bustling with folk music fans from around the world! The event kicks off on the Thursday evening and promises four days of folk filled melodic revellery.  Tickets and full programme details are available on their website.

Hull Maritime Weekender: 5 – 6th September
Venues across Hull

If sea music is your thang then head on over to Hull this weekend and join the masses who flock from across Europe and the United States to attend this event, which is considered to be one of the best sea music events in the country. Formerly known as Sea Fever, this event features live music, arts and crafts and the chance to catch a glimpse at traditional barges and sailing crafts. Follow the fabulous Seven Seas Fish Trail around the city centre, climb aboard HMS Explorer or listen to some fabulous sea shanties! More information about perfomers and events can be found here.

Ripon International Festival: 5 – 19th September

Now in it’s 11th year the Ripon International Festival is a fantastic celebration of music, arts, architecture and nature hosted in and around this beautiful Cathedral city in the Yorkshire Dales. It provides a wonderfully unique opportunity to experience world class performances, with highlights include concerts by Northern Sinfonia, the Orchestra of Opera North and the Rodolfus Choir, and the famous Wihan Quartet of Prague in Smetana.

For details and to book visit the festival website or call 01765 603 994.