Melbourne Festival 2008 was very successful, with over 3000 visitors during the Trail Weekend.   The weather was kind after a wet summer and the visitors, artists and organisers enjoyed themselves – the sunshine has been booked for 2009! This year we are planning performances by jazz quartet Birdsong accompanied by artist Heather Duncan on Saturday.

Michael Cook is showing his work portraying minor characters from the scriptures for the first time in Melbourne Parish Church and the Festival Service on Sunday 13^th September will be based on these characters, Vitor Azevado will be encouraging everyone to participate in a workshop to create paper boats for an installation on the theme “Mystical Journeys”. Also the newly redecorated Bill Shone Leisure Centre will be transformed for the weekend with refreshments, the Melbourne Festival Shop, the Open Exhibition (details of which are an available on the Open webpage), and many other features.

Trail Badges will remain at £3.50 for adults, under 16’s free, Badges and Trail Guides are available on the day at ticket stalls in the Market Place, Castle Square, the Senior Citizen Community Centre in Church Street, the Festival Shop at the Leisure Centre and at Thomas Cook Memorial Hall in High Street. The local Army Cadets will once again be selling Badges on the streets and reminding people that they need a Trail Badge to get into the houses and halls – also feel free to ask them for directions.

All work on the Trail is for sale and, once again, we will have the facility for artists and visitors, to pay by credit or debit card.

The 2008 Concert programme this year starts with a performance by well known poet Les Barker on Friday 4^th September and continues for two action packed weeks with a complete range of gigs, talks, comedy evenings, rock, classical, guitar, kids and jazz events. The programme finishes the weekend after the Trail with a Rock Night on Saturday 19^th September. The full programme is listed in the Concerts section but to whet your appetites don’t miss Sally Doherty or Distraction Theatre Company presenting The Canterbury Tales ( but not as you know them!), Musica Donum Dei, Camp David and Hothouse Jazz.

The proceeds from the Trail Weekend and the concert programme is used to cover the costs of putting on the Melbourne Festival, we do not make a profit and have to rely on volunteer help, sponsors and donations. If you would like to help, please join the Friends of the Festival by filling in an application form on the Friends webpage.

The painting “View from the Top” by Laura Donaldson was commissioned for a Melbourne Festival Award in 2007 for the Melbourne Parish Council Chamber and depicts the view from Melbourne Parish Church.