Well, that's the Festival over for another year.

We'd really like to know what you thought of it - what you liked and what you didn't - and any suggestions as to how we could improve thing for net year.

Welcome to the Wallsend Festival Association's web site.

The Wallsend Festival takes place in July each year. The 2009 Festival will be held in the week leading up to Saturday July 4th. The Festival is the biggest community celebration in Wallsend and is a great occasion for the community to come together to 'celebrate all that's good in Wallsend, past, present and future'. If you or your group would like to be involved in any way - please get in touch. We're already planning for 2009 which we hope will be the biggest and best Festival yet. We need lots of help to make the Festival happen, so whatever your talents or interests we'd like to hear from you. You can use the feedback form on this site to make contact or if you prefer call us on 0191 643 6419.

Latest news...

12/11/2008 - Annual Report 2008 now online

The Annual Report of the Wallsend Festival Association for 2008 is now online and can be downloaded from the link on the home page of our site. It tells the story of another successful year for the Association, and begins to look forward to our ninth Festival culminating in Festival Saturday, July 4th. We'd love to get more individuals and groups involved with the Festival, so if you'd like to learn more, please use our feedback form to get in touch.

03/07/2008 - No Paintball Range!

We are sorry to report that the Army have decided NOT to bring their paintball range to the Festival. Instead it will be used at another event in London. We apologise to those looking forward to having a go at this attraction.

26/06/2008 - High Street East performances

This year, in addition to the Bandstand line up we have two performance areas on High Street, one at each end of the closed section. Latest line up looks like this, but in the nature of these things may change on the day!

26/06/2008 - Thanks to the SMD Fund!

20/06/2008 - DIFFERENT SPACES/DIFFERENT SOUNDS VISITS WALLSEND FESTIVAL 2008

Gone are the days when choreographers showcase their work exclusively in conventional theatres and dance halls.

One dance company capitalising on this concept is North East-based DoraFrankelDance.

They are quite literally bringing ‘dance to the people’ by delivering a programme of challenging contemporary dance in locations more accustomed to peoples’ day-to-day lives, for example, the local park, shopping centre and art gallery.

The creative style has been described as Flamenco meets Space Odyssey.

Different Spaces/Different Sounds oozes with the passion and excitement generated between two artists from different disciplines: Soloist Daniel Walters (UK, trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance)and Tyneside-based cellist Penny Callow.

The piece is a duet for cello and dance inspired and created especially for indoor and outdoor spaces. Different Spaces/Different Sounds is quirky, fun, beautiful, moving and unusual! The movement is brought to life by the use of ‘new music’ composed by Penny Callow as she interweaves the composition with more familiar music.

Painting the scene… the creative relationship between light and sound gracefully combines to take the audience on a journey into dance and music that will be performed in obscure locations across the North East.

Different Spaces/Different Sounds will also include the dance skills of Dora Frankel (choreographer and artistic director of DoraFrankelDance).

Dora will perform briefly by interacting with dancer [Daniel Walters] and cello [Penny Callow] in surprising ways!

Dora Frankel, artistic director and choreographer for DoraFrankelDance, said: "I really want people to enjoy, be moved and surprised by this piece. Different Spaces/Different Sounds is easily accessible to everyone willing to open just a little part of their heart, mind and soul to dance."

Dora adds: "The variety between dance, music and the unusual spaces being used in Different Spaces/Different Sounds provides us with the opportunity to meet and dance for people who don’t usually associate themselves with dance. I want people who are out and about to stumble upon our piece and enable contemporary dance to play a part in their day."

"I'm really pleased our final summer performances of Different Spaces/Different Sounds will be staged at the Wallsend Festival, especially as I live and work in Wallsend, a place I've called home for over 5 years. It's great to see so many fun and exciting events taking place as part of the Festival, it should be a wonderful occasion for all involved."

The Wallsend Festival:

John Fleet, Festival Organiser at North Tyneside Council, said: "The visit of DoraFrankelDance is an intrinsic part of this year's Festival. I'm really looking forward to seeing the reaction of fascinated shoppers as some of them experience contemporary dance for the first time."

John adds: "In its eighth year we are trying to make Wallsend Festival the most daring yet. We want to show people there's a lot more to Wallsend than they might first think. The Festival is all about local people celebrating what is good about Wallsend, past present and future... and most of all it's a recipe for having fun and putting Wallsend well and truly on the map."

20/06/2008 - Final preparations in hand

Organisers are putting the finishing touches to this year's Festival programme. You can view the programme online elsewhere on this site and 7,000 copies are currently being distributed.

Late changes since the programme went to press include:

Sadly Pe Na Rua won't be with us but instead we are looking foraward to Tribe Zuza with exotic and energetic dance and the ever popular Chinese Lion Dance group - both appearing on Wallsend High Street East.

21/04/2008 - Hadrian Trust adds its support to the Festival

03/03/2008 - Grant aid from the R W Mann Trust

21/02/2008 - Sir James Knott Trust helps out the Festival

06/02/2008 - Plans for 2008's Festival progressing well

18/09/2007 - Help us to plan the 2008 Festival!

Organisers of the Wallsend Festival are keen to hear from any community groups and organisations in the Wallsend area, who may have ideas or suggestions for next year's event. The 2008 Festival will be the eighth to be held in the town and the Festival Association are keen to make it the biggest and best yet.

'The Festival is there to celebrate all that's good in Wallsend, past, present and future' said a spokesperson, 'and we're keen to involve as many sections of the community as possible, new members are always welcome at our planning meetings, but if you can't make one of the meetings we'd still like to hear your thoughts and suggestions. You can contact us via the feedback form on this site or by phone on 0191 200 5733 during office hours.'

20/07/2007 - 2007 Photos now on line

10/07/2007 - Thanks for coming!

Well that's the Festival over for another year!  Thankfully Saturday turned out to be a mostly dry and sunny day with the only heavy shower starting just as the churches came onto the bandstand!

Overall a very successful event and we're already making preliminary plans for next year. Festival Saturday will be Saturday July 5th so put the date in your diaries now!

Any comments, feedback or suggestions welcome via our feedback form.

Thanks to all who took part and for everyone who came; we hope that you enjoyed the Festival. See you next year!

06/07/2007 - all set for Saturday!

Well Festival Week is now well underway with a great concert at the Civic Hall on Wednesday night and a facinating talk at the Library on Thursday.

Final preparations are now in hand for Saturday- the fun starts at 10.00 am and the weather forecast is looking reasonably promising.

We've a full lineup of stalls both inside and outside the Forum to complement all the other activiities detailed in the programme - which is widely available throughout the town centre as well as being online on this site.

Look out for our very own Roman legionnaires as they parade through the town led by Centurian Maximus

15/05/2007 - Sir James Knott Trust grant

23/04/2007 - Port of Tyne aids Festival

01/03/2007 - Grant from R W Mann Trust

22/01/2007 - Stallholder applications invited

05/07/2006 - That's it folks!

Well the Festival is over for another year. Great weather contributed to a really excellent Festival Saturday and we hope that if you were a visitor, you enjoyed your day.

Let us know what you thought about the Festival using our feedback form; if you've any ideas or suggestions as to how we could make next year's event even bigger and better we'd especially like to hear from you.

And of course, if you'd like to get involved with the planning and organisation of the 2007 event - which starts immediately, then why not join the Festival Association and get stuck in! We're a very friendly bunch and you'll be helping to really put a smile on the town's face.

22/06/2006 - Stallholders interest at record levels

16/06/2006 - Live music at the Bandstand

We're delighted to announce that we will, after all, be having live music on the Bandstand on Festival Saturday

Our line up presently looks as follows:

11.00   Wallsend Churches and the Salvation Army

12.00   Northumberland Fayre

13.00   The Bill Elliott Band

14.00   Northumberland Fayre

15.00   Captain Bob

31/05/2006 - WALLSEND’S FUTURE STARS POINT TO MECCA!

and Segedunum Computer Services in Wallsend.

31/05/2006 - Programme 2006 out shortly

04/05/2006 - Paintball fun at the Festival

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers will be bringing their giant inflatable paint ball range to the Wallsend Festival on Saturday July 1st. The range will be sited in the car park opposite the town hall. Would be paintballers won't be able to miss the range - it's massive - 30 m x 20 m and about 15' high! and will occupy the entire car park.

The range will be just one of many attractions for all the family on Festival Saturday with the ever popular Children's fairground happening on the nearby Coronation Club car park

21/04/2006 - More grant success for the WFA!

Following the recent awards of grants from the Community Foundation and the R W Mann Trust, we're delighted to announce that we've received a further grant of £750 from the Sir James Knott Trust. This will help ensure that this year's Festival is a truly memorable occasion so watch this space for more news as we get nearer to Festival Day.

Our Wallsend Waggonway Walk is due to go to the printers shortly and we still have some spaces left for stallholders. More buskers and street entertainers are being actively sought, so please get in touch if you have any ideas or contacts for us to follow up

11/04/2006 - Rooting for us!

07/04/2006 - Grant success for the Wallsend Festival Association

The WFA is delighted to announce the receipt of two grants to support the costs of this year's Festival. We have received the sum of £1000 from the R W Mann Trust, the first time that this local charity has supported our work. And we've now been awarded £2,000 by the Community Foundation, who have been a long time supporter of the WFA.

Thanks to their help and monies from Finford Property on behalf of the Forum Shopping Centre and a grant from North Tyneside Council's town centres management office, we are able to press ahead with plans for this year's Festival. Watch out for more news here

15/02/2006 - Buskers sought!

Plans are proceeding well for this year's Festival. We won't be having the traditional bandstand partly due to possible redevelopment at the Forum shopping centre. Instead we hope to have more spontaneous street entertainment throughout the town centre.

So if you know of any good buskers that would like to take part in this great community event, then please get in touch! - you can use the feedback form on this site or call John Fleet on 0191 200 5733 or email john.fleet@northtyneside.gov.uk

21/10/2005 - Date set for 2006 Festival

The 2006 Wallsend Festival will be held on Saturday July 1st. Organisers are at the early stages of planning the event, which for 2006 will adopt the theme of Waggonways - waggonways were the forerunners of today's railways and used to carry coal from local pits down to waiting ships on the Tyne. Many of these historic routes run through Wallsend.

The Festival committee would like to hear from any community groups who'd like to take part in celebrating all that's good in Wallsend, past, present and future. Call Festival Chair John Fleet on 0191 200 5733 for more information.

20/06/2005 - Programme now out!

20/06/2005 - Fun and games at the Bingo Hall!

Tyne and Wear Museums Craft Activities

Saturday 2 July 10am-4pm

Mecca Bingo

Come along to the Mecca Bingo foyer and join in with some fun craft activities with artist Sharon Wilson, play a giant games of snakes and ladders and see and hold some real historical objects!  There will also be a display of art work recently made by members of the North Tyneside community. There'll also be an opportunity during the morning to see inside the hall which still retains many of its equipment from its former life as the Ritz cinema. No booking needed

02/06/2005 - Festival 2005 programme

20/05/2005 - Geordie Night at the Mem

An exciting new event this year, will be a Geordie Night at the Wallsend Memorial Hall. It promises to be a great evening and tickets will be going on sale shortly priced at only £3

The programme will feature the popular Border Directors band with music, songs, and ceilidh dancing, to get you into the swing of things.

There'll be performances from the Addison Rapper and Clog Dance Team  and popular Geordie storyteller Bob Bolam will be holding the evening together.

As a further bonus we're planning a lucky ticket draw so you could find yourself winning a mini cruise to Amsterdam or a year's free admission to Segedunum, as well as enjoying a great night of entertainment.

So book this date in your diary now - 7.30pm, Saturday July 2nd and make sure that you're there for what promises to be a memorable night at the Mem. Tickets will be on sale shortly and are expected to be available in advance from Segedunum, the Buddle and the People's Centre. Tickets will also be on sale on the day.

27/04/2005 - Treasure Island at the Buddle

In keeping with the nautical theme adopted for this year's Festival, in recognition of the return of the Tall Ships to the Tyne as well as the Trafalgar bicentenary, the Buddle Arts Centre will be hosting a production of 'TREASURE ISLAND. Performed by the Bruvvers, Treasure Island is one of the world’s best loved novels. In our play all the elements of this perfect adventure yarn are there. A lost map and a search for buried treasure; an engaging hero in young Jim Hawkins and a cunning villain in Long John Silver; mutiny and murder on the high seas; and of course, a safe return to England and a happy ending!'

15/04/2005 - Grants are coming in!

The WFA has been awarded grants of £2094 and £400 respectively from the Community Chest and the North Tyneside Small Grants Scheme.

The Community Chest money will be used to support a project working with local schoolchildren to produce costumes and banners with a nautical theme ready for our Festival Parade on July 2nd.

We are very grateful for these generous grants.

09/03/2005 - Happy Cats to play the Festival

Popular geordie band the Happy Cats, led by ex Lindisfarne star Marty Craggs have been confirmed as the headline act for this year's Festival. Also in the line up are jazz band the Groovediggers, and local club act Two Become One.

Local churches are also expected to take a slot and at least one of the bands taking part in the Parade will take another.

But there's still space for one or two others. So if you are in, or can recommend, a band who might be suitable then get in touch!

Contact John Fleet on 0191 200 5733 to find out more

08/02/2005 - Calling all stallholders!

27/01/2005 - Take part in our Parade!

Plans are now well in hand for this year's Festival. The Festival committee would particularly welcome participation in this year's Festival Parade which will adopt a maritime theme to reflect the imminent arrival of the Tall Ships to the river.

For more information, call 0191 200 5733

14/12/2004 - Plans advance for the 2005 Festival

The organising committee has now met twice to begin the work of planning the 2005 Wallsend Festival, to be held in the week leading up to Saturday July 2nd. We've decided to adopt a maritime theme for the Parade, recognising the wider celebrations that will be taking part throughout the North Tyneside area in preparation for the return of the Tall Ships later in the month.

At this early stage we're keen to hear from any groups or individuals who'd like to take part in the Festival, so please get in touch by phoning 0191 200 5733, if you'd like to learn more.

01/07/2004 - Festival opening

Swan Hunter's boss Jaap Kroese has kindly agreed to open the Festival Saturday at 10.00 am. We also expect to welcome the Chair and Consort of North Tyneside Council. See the programme page for full details of all that's happening in Festival week.

30/04/2004 - Bandstand line up confirmed

We now have a full line up of live music on the Bandstand for Festival Saturday, July 10th. Acts taking part will include Off the Wall, the Bill Elliott Band, the Lou Band, Indigo Colony, Wallsend Churches and two marching bands. The entertainment starts immediately after the Festival opens at 10 am. Full details to follow shortly

01/04/2004 - WFA awarded grant

We are delighted to announce that the WFA have been awarded a grant of over £4,000 from the Community Chest towards the costs of this year's festival.
Planning is going very well, with over twenty stalls now booked for the craft market and the bandstand line up being finalised. The Festival Parade will leave from Segedunum at noon, and we are particularly keen to hear from groups or organisations who'd like to take part in the Parade.

16/09/2003 - 2004 dates agreed

Following the review of the 2003 Festival the dates for 2004 have now been agreed. Festival Saturday will be July 10th. Detailed planning is yet to take place but we are very keen to hear from any groups in Wallsend who'd like to take part. In particular we'd like to hear from groups who'd be interested in taking part in the Parade, perhaps with a float or other display, and any groups who'd like to perform at the Festival.

Expenses can be paid; so please get in touch - if you live or work in Wallsend it's YOUR Festival!

09/07/2003 - Spookymedia postphoned.

Due to pressure of time the Spookymedia event due to take place at the Buddle this Saturday night has been postphoned to a later date - probably in August. We'll publish details of the new date/time when we have them.

03/07/2003 - BBC Blue Bus coming to the Festival

The BBC have confirmed that the will be bringing the Blue Bus to the Forum on Festival Saturday July 12th. The afternoon show will go out live between 1pm and 3pm from the bus which will be parked up just behind the bandstandwith grandstand views of all that's happening during the day.

30/06/2003 - Festival awarded grant

The Festival is delighted to report that we have been awarded a grant from the P&G Foundation; this latest grant is the fourth that we have received this year and will help to ensure that the Festival this year will be the best ever.

Stallholders at the Festival - to see the latest list of confirmed stallholders click on the stallholders tab

25/06/2003 - Bill Elliott Band to play the Bandstand.

In a change to the printed programme the Bill Elliott Band will now open the Bandstand programme at 10 am instead of the Wallsend Town Band who are unable to appear.

Latest update on the display area: in addition to the vintage buses and other vehicles etc listed in the programme we are now expecting a display by the Army cadets, a plant stall from Complete Growth and a very large Boot (which will be a cunningly disguised children's slide!)

We are also hoping to have a group of African Dancers appearing at the People's Centre at 12 noon and then also inside the Forum at 3pm

04/06/2003 - Live music line up