THERE will be plenty to cheer about in Leamington this weekend.
The first and only arts festival curated and delivered by children for children will see five primary schools – St Patrick’s, Kingsway, Clapham Terrace, Sydenham and Shrubland Street – will join forces to present SPLAT Festival (Schools Project Leamington Arts & Theatre Festival) in Jephson Gardens.
The free festival will feature a host of children’s and professional performances, an art gallery, stalls and plenty of other fun and games.
The event, running from 11am to 4pm, is the culmination of the two year Arts Active Network project – a collaboration between the schools, Warwick Arts Centre and Warwick District Council.
Mair Evans, arts development officer at Warwick District Council, said: “The opportunities offered by this project have been fantastic. Not only has it given children the chance to see and make art, but also the skills they need to put on a festival that will hopefully sustain itself for years to come.
“The children taking part have benefitted tremendously from this enriched learning experience and they should be very proud of their achievements in putting on a festival for children by children.”
Carly Mee, education officer at Warwick Arts Centre, said: “The ethos behind the whole Arts Active Network project was to give the children the chance to see and make art, alongside giving the teachers and schools the tools they need to get art into the classroom and then out again, back into the community.
“The culmination of all this hard work over the past two years is the SPLAT Festival. The event will be packed full of arts, performances and creativity – all created by the children for children. It’s the only festival of its kind in the UK – a festival that the children have lead of every part of the event – and we hope that it will continue for many years to come with more and more children taking part.”
Visit www.splatartsfestival.com for further information.
And Leamington Carnival will also be taking to the town’s streets and Pump Rooms Gardens on Saturday.
The fun in the Pump Rooms runs from 11am to 7pm, while the procession through the town will set off from Beauchamp Avenue at 1pm.
Visit www.leamingtoncarnival.org.uk for further details.
