Don’t miss St Albans Spring Festival – thousands expected at FREE street party
Thousands of people are expected to join an exciting St Albans City Centre event with free entertainment suitable for all.
The first St Albans Spring Festival will be held on Sunday 18 May and will be a celebration of food, well-being, community spirit and sustainability.
Among the attractions will be live music, arts and crafts, street theatre and dozens of stalls selling takeaway food, drink and other produce. There will also be opportunities to learn, play and create with fun activities.
The event runs from 11am to 5pm, with St Peter’s Street, Chequer Street and High Street closed to traffic to create a safe and vibrant environment.
To ensure accessibility, sighted guides and British Sign Language interpreters will be in attendance.
St Albans City and District Council is organising the festival which will highlight the District’s hospitality businesses and tourism offering.
It is part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and sponsored by Code Ninjas, Côte St Albans and Corker Taxis.
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Lead for Events, said:
This is a new event which we are bringing to the City Centre as the warmer weather takes hold and residents look for things to do at the weekend.
There will be lots of exciting activities and entertainment that will appeal to people of all ages and interests. They will enjoy an afternoon of free music, games, activities, arts and crafts, eating, drinking and shopping.
One of our priorities is to make the event inclusive and accessible, so among the facilities are reserved seating for those less able to stand, wheelchair ramps beside kerbs and accessible viewing zones.
We are expecting the Spring Festival to attract many thousands of residents and visitors, so I would urge people to come along and not to miss out on the fun.
Among the many attractions to look out for are the:
- Main Stage, situated near the Beech House, where there will be live performances by a host of local musicians.
- Food and Drink Stalls selling a vast variety of refreshments and cuisines with plenty of outdoor seating.
- Create and Play Zone with activities including traditional wooden games, toddler soft play and chalk pavement drawing.
- Experience Zone by the Museum + Gallery where there will be drumming and dance workshops as well as information about plastic-free living, composting and cooking sustainably. There will also be chair-based yoga.
- Code Ninjas, one of our sponsors, is offering young and old alike the opportunity to learn about game design and coding in their special pop-up dojo on St Peter’s Street.
- Challenge Area with rodeo sheep, sideshow games and giant inflatable football darts provided by St Albans City FC.
- Clock Tower Stage, supported by Côte St Albans, featuring music from OVO and Morris dancing.
- Street Entertainers including stilt walkers and drummers.
- Community Safe Zone, a quiet spot by the Civic Centre where people can take some time out.
Corker Taxis are providing some free as well as 10% discounted rides to the event.
If travelling by bus, you can find City Centre bus stop arrangements for the day and further information about the Spring Festival here: https://www.enjoystalbans.com/event/st-albans-spring-festival/.
Photo: scene from a street event last year.
Note: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.
Media contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727- 819533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.