Arts Council to support Arts Fresco festival 2017

Arts Fresco awarded almost £15,000 from Grants for the Arts funding to support this year’s festival in Market Harborough

Arts Fresco, one of the largest, community-led free street theatre festivals in the UK, has been awarded almost £15,000 from Arts Council England to support this year’s event on 10 September.

The Grants for the Arts funding, from the National Lottery, will support the development of artistic programming, making the festival more accessible to disabled audiences, and for organisational development to make the festival sustainable.

Arts Fresco will celebrate its 15th anniversary when it returns to Market Harborough in Leicestershire on Sunday 10 September 2017.

This year’s event, taking place in the streets of the town from 11am to 4pm, will feature some intriguing, exciting, fun and interactive performances from professional UK and international street artists. A children’s village, supported by the Market Harborough Building Society, will feature circus workshops, entertainment and more. For more information, visit www.artsfresco.com

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: “We’re delighted to be funding Arts Fresco to help make the Market Harborough street arts festival more accessible to Deaf and disabled audiences. Our ambition at the Arts Council is to invest in artistic and cultural events that everyone can enjoy and it’ll be great to see more people having the opportunity to experience theatre, dance and circus in Leicestershire. This award to Arts Fresco is funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts scheme”

Nina Thomas from the Arts Fresco Organising Committee added: “Arts Fresco continues to be a free festival for all of our visitors – both local residents and those from further away. We’re so proud to reach our 15th birthday and this support from Arts Council England will significantly help us to focus on the longer-term growth and development of this fantastic event.”

Founder and Patron of Arts Fresco, Caterina Loriggio, said: “I am delighted to see that Arts Fresco is not only still going but that it is continuing to flourish. What started as an idea discussed over a glass of wine at Joules Yard has grown into an excellent and much cherished arts event, loved by artists and audiences alike.”

Arts Fresco 2017 is funded by the Arts Council, plus local sponsorship and donations from Ian Joule from Joules Yard Chimney Sweep and Woodburning Stoves, Harborough District Council, Market Harborough and The Bowdens Charity, Market Harborough Building Society, The Angel Hotel, Market Harborough Chamber of Trade & Commerce, Bisham Consulting Ltd and private donations.

It is organised by a dedicated team of local people who are passionate about Market Harborough and give their time freely to stage this wonderful event.

About Arts Council England:

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, we plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk

For further media information, please contact:

Simon Gribbon

On behalf of Arts Fresco

T: 07990 583371

simon@sandstarcomms.com