Everything you need to know about the 21st Prescot Festival this month

Prescot Festival’s getting ready to celebrate its 21st anniversary with 10-days of music, arts and entertainment.

Wingates Brass Band will open the popular festival, with a host of local singers taking part in a Songs from the Shows spectacular the following day.

And treasurer Laura Howard has promised there’ll be something for everyone throughout the event, which has continued to grow since its launch.

Laura says:

“When the festival started in 2005 it was from the thoughts of local musicians who asked ‘I wonder if we can put on a concert or two?’ or ‘I wonder if people would come?’ just to see what the interest was like.

“With Capital of Culture in 2008 there was support available to run arts events in the Liverpool City Region and we decided to brave it and go for 10 days, and from there it’s really grown.

“We try to offer something for everyone, to make sure it covers all forms of arts and culture, and that it’s accessible and affordable – even free in some cases,” adds Laura, “so that people can come and enjoy something perhaps a bit different, or familiar, within Prescot town.

“We are so lucky now that we have Shakespeare North Playhouse, and that we have developed that cultural activity. To be able to do Prescot Festival and sustain it over 21 years is fantastic.”

Last year’s festival had a cumulative audience of more than 2,000 for the first time, but Laura stresses that it’s not just about increasing numbers but about maintaining the quality of what’s offered in ‘beautiful’ venues.

“We are offering a really positive experience for people to come to, and now people travel from quite wide distances to come and see us, and we can attract groups and musicians from much further afield.

“Many come year after year and so we’ve got to know our audience members, and it’s just a really nice environment … and this year there’s even an extra event after the festival!”

So if you’re planning to visit and enjoy the festival fun, here’s everything you need to know…

What is Prescot Festival?

Prescot Festival is an annual event designed to celebrate the town’s talented people with a series of arts, music, culture and entertainment events.

When is it?

The 10-day festival is being held between Friday, June 20, and Sunday, June 29.

Where is the festival being held?

You’ll find events across Prescot, from the town’s Parish Church to schools and, even, Shakespeare North Playhouse.

How much to events cost?

Each event is modestly priced making it accessible to everyone, with some events being held totally FREE.

What’s on when?

There’s a whole programme of events so you don’t miss your favourite band or performance. Highlights include a screening of Willy Russell’s ‘Our Day Out’, a taste of jazz and swing from Dr Jazz and the Cheshire Cats, and Phoenix Concert Orchestra from Liverpool providing the festival finale.

Friday, June 20 – 7.30pm

Wingates Brass Band are back by popular demand playing at Prescot Parish Church with an all-new programme of brass classics to celebrate the festival’s 21st anniversary. It’s £8 per person (under-16s are free if accompanied an adult) – and you even get a slice of birthday cake in the interval.

Saturday, June 21 – 7.30pm

See A Night at the Musicals at Prescot Methodist Centre (£6). The brand-new show features local professional vocalists Annamarie Newton and David Lee, with live piano accompaniment and hit songs from classic Hollywood, Broadway, West End productions, and more.

Sunday, June 22

Prescot Carnival is at Brown’s Field from 12noon-4pm. Prescot Town Council organise this free event with stalls, games, food, fairground rides, live entertainment and more.

6.30pm

Liverpool Bach Collective are playing for a free performance at Prescot Parish Church. The baroque ensemble will end their season with a cantata of general praise, with choir, soloists, organ and instrumentalists following a traditional service of Choral Evensong.

Monday, June 23 – 6pm

Primary Schools’ Choir Festival at Prescot Parish Church – Free.

Tuesday, June 24 – 7pm

Our Day Out is being screened at St Paul’s Church nearly 50 years since it was first broadcast as a BBC ‘Play for Today’. Suitable for ages 11 and above, it’s £6.

Wednesday, June 25

9.30am

There’s a Young Instrumentalist Celebration at Evelyn Community Primary School, in which specially selected local children of all ages showcase their musical skills. Free.

2pm

Afternoon Opera: Solos & Soliloquies at Shakespeare North Playhouse Garden. Soprano Laura Hudson returns in a new recital of exquisite Shakespearean opera and poetry, with actor and Shakespeare North producer Lane Paul Stewart, and pianist.

Tickets are £12 and available from Shakespeare North direct.

7.30pm

Play: Two Steps Back. Emily Parr premieres her new one-act tragicomedy about the struggle to adjust to student life at Shakespeare North Playhouse: Studio. Tickets are £12 and from Shakespeare North.

Thursday, June 26 – 7pm

Barn Dance at St Paul’s Church – £6. Join four-piece band Two Left Feet for a traditional community barn dance with caller. Feel free to take your own food and drink.

Friday, June 27 – 7.30pm

Lymm-based jazz band, Dr Jazz & the Cheshire Cats, are at Our Lady & St Joseph’s Catholic Church with an evening of swing. Tickets are £8 (under-16s free if accompanied by an adult) and that includes an interval cupcake courtesy of Prescot’s Albion Bakehouse.

Saturday, June 28

11.30am

Talk: Ken Pye’s History & Architecture of Knowsley Hall is being held at Prescot Parish Centre. Tickets are £4 to hear the author and historian’s stories of the area’s illustrious past.

7.00pm

Choral Classics: From Despair to Hope at Prescot Parish Church. A performance of Mozart’s Requiem by the 100-strong Prescot Festival Chorus, followed by a first festival visit from Hope Street Consort in a second half of choral masterpieces. Cost is £6.

Sunday, June 29 – 6pm

It’s the Festival Finale with the Phoenix Concert Orchestra at Prescot Parish Church, and a special 25th anniversary celebration of this local community light music orchestra, presenting a selection of melodies from stage, screen and the concert hall, conducted by festival director Dr Robert Howard. Tickets are £8 (under-16s free if accompanied by an adult).

And there’s more…

* You can see schools’ artwork in Prescot Parish Church during events, and at Prescot Museum & Library: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, and Saturdays from 10am-1pm.

* There’s also a Post-Festival Concert at Prescot Parish Church on Thursday, July 3 at 6pm, offering an evening of Sacred & Secular Music with the Choir of St Peter’s College, Oxford, as part of their Merseyside tour.

How to get to Prescot

Take Junction 2 from the M57; Junction 6 from the M62—J6 (then M57 to J2), or take the A58 from St Helens and A57 from Warrington or Liverpool, and then follow the signs.