Worcester Music Festival – all free, all live, all original
Worcester Music Festival 2019 takes place over three days from Friday 13 September to Sunday 15 September 2019.
There’s something quite special about Worcester Music Festival. After all, how many other places can you go and experience three whole days of live, original music from hundreds of up and coming bands and artists from the Midlands and across the UK without paying a penny?
A huge success story, the distinctive festival has grown exponentially since it was first staged eleven years ago, with a whopping 300 performances taking place in the city’s pubs, clubs, cafes and historic buildings as well as on outdoor stages at last year’s explosive event in September.
Artists perform for free and, in exchange, the festival committee works hard to promote acts that take part, helping performers reach new audiences, sell CDs and network with their peers.
Quite uniquely, the festival is also the chance for everyone to have a go at making music, with the 2017 event hosting free workshops, from world drumming and a workshop with the Worcester School of Rock and Performance.
Last year’s programme for all ages and abilities was such a hit, in fact, it attracted music fans in their droves.
Reflecting the diversity of styles and genres on offer, workshops are usually led by musicians and artists who also perform at the festival, the idea being to nurture and develop skills of young and budding musicians, provide training and professional development opportunities to those already established in their field and invite people to try out and learn about new or unfamiliar musical genres in a supportive and friendly environment.
Worcester Music Festival also focused on engaging with families to give them an alternative to TV talent shows, with emphasis on live gigs, workshops and activities aimed at the under 10s.
The festival is also about raising money for good causes, with the 2017 event raising £4,109 for our chosen charity of the year, St Paul’s Hostel, taking the total amount raised for local charity over five years to almost £50,000.
What people sometimes find hard to believe is that the non-profit making festival is run entirely by an enthusiastic group of volunteers. Their motivation? A love of live, original music.