City area ready to revive with arts festival

The 2023 Wolverhampton Arts Festival will be taking place in the long-awaited newly pedestrianised Victoria Street in the city centre during the coronation weekend between May 5 and May 7.

The festival is being organized by The Framer’s Gallery in conjunction with Enjoy Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton Council and aims to bring new life to an area hit by several problems over the last few years.

Victoria Street, in the westside of the city, was first hit by the closure of Beatties, then plagued with roadworks for well over a year.

Event coordinator Wayne Horton said the aim was to boost the area and celebrate the arts on offer in the city.

He said: "Now the works are nearing completion, this area of our city needs to re-instate its purpose, get the people back and thrive again.

"The arts festival will hopefully be the first of many events in this new entertainment square to give the area the significant boost it needs, help struggling traders recover from a couple of years of difficult trading.

"The arts festival will bring live performances; music, dance, art demonstrations, workshops and other activities including a street full of sellers showing off their arts and crafts.

"All the performers and traders involved are from our local area and will bring the community closer together."

Included in the festival is a ‘King Charles painting competition’ for junior and senior schools, to get them involved in the festival and the coronation weekend, as well as an adult’s painting competition

There is a treasure hunt aimed to get people to go into the local shops.

Wayne Horton said: "Some of these shops offer a lot more inside than you could ever imagine.

"The area is full of fantastic individual stores unique to the average chain store, what a gem and not to be missed."

For further information or to get involved, email Wolverhampton.arts.festival@outlook.com or call 01902 717775.