New Gate Fringe Festival celebrates cultural diversity

A unique blend of music, dance, drama, art, storytelling, poetry recitals, cookery demonstrations, historical tours and debates; this impressive and edgy programme will complement longer established festivals such as the Maiden City Festival and Gasyard Féile, it will celebrate cultural diversity, provide enjoyment and help create a thriving place to live in and visit.

The distinctive and colourful Tartan Walk will return again this year, animating the city walls, while also raising money for local autism charity – Circle of Support. Award winning Chef Emmett McCourt will facilitate a number of cookery demonstrations, while a number of high profile speakers will engage in topical debates on our past, present and future, including the civil rights movement and the legacy of the troubles. The festival will explore the influence of Ulster Scots on the development of the city, as well as celebrating the current cultural makeup of the city with a number of cross-cultural events.

The festival will also preview a new play by Stephen Bradley; Judgment is a true story and will put audiences face-to-face with one soldier’s reality of what human survival truly means. There will be opportunities to reminisce, as well as opportunities to look to the future, to develop skills and simply ‘enjoy yourself’ according to festival organiser Kyle Thompson.

The festival is funded by the Ulster Scots Agency, NIHE Cohesion Unit, Derry City and Strabane District Council Good Relations Team and the Urban Villages Initiative through the Street Alive Project; with additional support from the PEACE IV funded CultureFuse Project, International Fund for Ireland funded Londonderry Bands Forum, North West Migrants Forum, Cathedral Youth Club, Gasyard Feile and BBI Peace Walls Project.

For information visit www.newgatearts.com or contact us on 028 71265869 or [email protected]