A FREE festival celebrating ‘everything Blackburn has to offer’ will run for the first time this year.
The one-day festival, Blackburn Beat, will be an extravaganza of local food, craft beers and live music.
It comes following a number of recent initiatives that are aiming to boost the town’s night time economy, promote the arts and get people back into the centre of town.
The council-led Blackburn is Open scheme has been attracting people to the town centre with street parties, new creative businesses, pop-up cinemas and film screenings and events like ‘drink and draw’.
The scheme inspired a live music event called Friday Night Live, in which different town centre venues hosting free live gigs to kick-start every weekend.
Blackburn Beat hopes to build on these successes on August 23, and establish Blackburn as a cultural town worth visiting, when the festival is launched in King William Street.
There will also be a selection of free craft workshops for children ensuring that it will be a day offering fun for people of all ages.
Councillor Maureen Bateson, executive member for Regeneration at the council, said: “Blackburn and the surrounding area has a wealth of quality producers, and talents, and this event is the perfect opportunity for us to showcase this to local people and visitors alike.”
“The Festival will bring to life this town centre street, with music and tasty treats for the town to be proud of.”
Councillor Damian Talbot, executive member for Leisure, Culture and Young People, said: “It will be a fantastic event for all ages and will give local people the chance to show off their talents.”
“It will be a great opportunity to see what else the town centre has to offer including our fabulous museum and library.”
The festival is being organised by Capital Life, and is receiving funding from Blackburn with Darwen Council.