Skegness SO Festival 2011
Please click here to view the SO Festival Skegness events list 2011
A gigantic box, huge board games, video projections, fireworks, music and community events are to takecentre stage at this year’s SO Festival as Games Time comes to Skegness between 22nd and 24th July.
Games Time is a series of large scale spectacular events all celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Funded by Legacy Trust UK and other partners, including East Lindsey District Council and Arts Council England, Games Time will offer something for local people and SO Festival visitors alike.
During the three days of SO Festival 2011, a range of events will be staged at various locations aroundSkegness, all building towards a spectacular finale. A series of games and races involving the local community will build anticipation towards the main event that will emerge from a giant box, the size of an articulated lorry, situated on Skegness foreshore.
Games Time is one of fourCommunity Celebrations to be funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As well as Skegness, Legacy Trust UK is funding otherlarge scale outdoor community events in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the South East of England.
Skegness has been chosen as the launch event for Games Time, which will, following SO Festival 2011, travel to Loughborough, Northampton and Derby as part of a tour of the East Midlands to celebrate the countdown to London 2012. Games Time will also be presented in London in August 2012 – the time of the Olympic Games, which will be staged between 27th July and 12th August.
As well as Games Time, SOFestival 2011 will feature an extensive programme of supporting events, including theatre, music performances and visual and digital art installations. As last year, the wider festival will be directed by Robin Morley of Magnetic Events.
Leader of East Lindsey District Council and 2012 Olympic Champion for Lincolnshire, Councillor Doreen Stephenson is delighted to have attracted Games Time to Skegness. “Last year’s SO Festival was incredible and unlike anything seen in Skegness before. Coming up with a way to build upon the festival’s success was always going to take something really spectacular but I’m incredibly pleased to say that Games Time will provide another amazing spectacle and once again, people will get the opportunity to see something that’s never been staged in Skegness before. Indeed, Games Time will be something that’s never been seen before in the East Midlands.
“Games Time is the natural partner for SO Festival 2011. The festival takes place between 22nd and 24th July, which in a year will see the opening ceremony of London 2012.
“Skegness is committed to joining the celebrations and, as the 2012 Olympic Champion for Lincolnshire, I want as many people as possible in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands to experience the cultural Olympiad.
“Attracting Games Time to SO Festival is a real coup and we cannot wait for July to see people’s reaction to it. The festival will challenge perceptions of our coast and show that we’re a forward thinking resort with some of the best events and entertainment fromaround the world. This is important if we’re going to extend the season, create new jobs and encourage investment.”
Games Time is being produced by Déda Producing, a key East Midlands arts organisation based in Derby. Déda Producing will work alongside long-standing partners Arts Agenda on delivering the event.
Speaking at the launch of SOFestival 2011, Stephen Munn, Director of Déda, said: “I am delighted that Games Time has been selected to be part of the Legacy Trust UK Community Celebrations programme. Games Time is a high profile national project that reflects the cultural ambitions of Skegness and the East Midlands. Déda Producing is proud to be working with a group of internationally recognised artists on this large scale event that will push artistic boundaries in a spectacular way.
“We are really excited about the prospect of bringing a flavour of the Olympics to the East Midlands.”
“Games Time is not just about three days in July. We will be working with people, schools and arts groups long before the show arrives in town. We want as many people as possible to be involved in Games Time and celebrating the Olympic movement.
“SO Festival has an excellent reputation, attracts many thousands of people and places great emphasis on involving people from the local community. As such, SO Festival is the ideal partner for Games Time.”
People wanting to find out more about SO Festival 2011, the programme of events and volunteering opportunities are being encouraged by East Lindsey District Council to attend an information event. Two events are being held at the Arts Room in the Embassy Theatre on 5th February, starting at 9am, and on 16th February, starting at 6pm.
SO Festival was first staged as a two day event in July 2009. Last year, the festival expanded to four days thanks toincreased funding, including significant support from Arts Council England.
Independent evaluation shows that visitors spent over £1.25 million in Skegness during SO Festival 2010, excluding accommodation.
For the latest up-to date info visit the SO Festival website please click here.
