Global - Technology - Review

September is the month when you can expect to see a mobile piano being driven around the streets of Derby by Sister Ruth.  Along with Giant Seagulls, giant bouncing kangaroos on powerskip stilts, and the metamorphosis of a man and a six foot balloon…

The stage is once again set for Derby’s annual extravaganza of international street theatre, performance art and sheer unadulterated fun in a world-class festival, capable of attracting some of the very best outdoor acts on to the city’s streets.

The sixth annual family friendly Derby Festé, from September 20th to 22nd, will also feature the world’s first ever Victorian robot (“Albot”), the music of New Orleans with the Rampage Brass Band, some yarn bombing, a little bit of Trundlehonk, and a display of gymnastics from the Swank Sputnick Sisters who hit their prime in the 1980s.

While the eclectic mix of professionally honed acts and madcap mayhem promises to bring Derby alive on Saturday, September 22nd, the appearance of Luc Amoros on September 20th and 21st is being hailed as nothing short of a major coup for the city.

The French troupe has wowed audiences in capital cities throughout Europe for years.  Described at its simplest as “shadow theatre”, Luc Amoros is one of the world’s greatest exponents of the art, and has taken an ancient theatre of projected images to turn it into a state-of-the-art 21st century performance.

Carefully choreographed, and set to music against a striking and illuminated backdrop, the performance lasts around 70 minutes and ends with a striking piece of art - and will bring with it exactly the right level of eye-catching and explosive entertainment to kick-start an extended weekend of family fun. The admission fee for each performance is £4.

While Luc Amoros - who light-up both the city in which they perform, as well as YouTube channels on the web - will be the headline act, Feste organisers have also been able to confirm another highlight for Saturday, September 22nd, when Derby will become the fourth and final venue for “Games Time”, to close the Cultural Olympiad in the East Midlands.

The full line-up of acts and events for Derby Festé can be seen at www.derbyfeste.com.

Visit Derby, meanwhile, will also be offering specially discounted hotel rates for the duration of the festival weekend.  For full details, visit www.visitderby.co.uk.

Derby Festé was founded in 2007 to mark the opening of Westfield Derby.  This was followed in September 2008 by a second Festé event to mark the launch of the Cultural Olympiad in the East Midlands and the opening of QUAD.  In 2009, Derby Festé became a stand-alone festival for the East Midlands. Since the first event, Derby Festé has had the ambition of developing into an annual event with funding from various public and private sector organisations.  Derby Festé is organised by Déda, QUAD and Derby LIVE and supported by a host of organisations including Arts Council England, Derby City Council and Westfield Derby.