Archived press release

Date Published: 06/07/07

Buckingham is gearing up for its annual two-week summer festival that will bring a host of entertainment and attract hundreds of visitors to the town. Family activities, comedy, music, sport, dance and drama will be on offer in venues across the ...

Buckingham is gearing up for its annual two-week summer festival that will bring a host of entertainment and attract hundreds of visitors to the town.

Family activities, comedy, music, sport, dance and drama will be on offer in venues across the town throughout the Buckingham Festival Fortnight, running from 7 to 22 July.

The diverse event has been organised by Aylesbury Vale District Council, Buckingham Town Council and the Buckingham Summer Festival committee, in conjunction with many groups from the town and the surrounding area.

Week one of the programme features classical entertainment, including many lunchtime concerts at 11am and 1pm at the Radcliffe Centre. The classical programme begins on 7 July with a performance of A Summer Night At The Opera by the Buckingham Choral Society, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

There’ll be dancing in the street this weekend (7 July) when the Owlswick Morris Men perform a series of dances outside Buckingham Old Gaol at 10.30am. More dancing will be on display in the second week of the festival when the Haddenham Hoofers, a lively Appalachian music and dance group, show off their dance moves in the town centre at midday on 14 June.

On 9 July, the celebrated barrister, playwright and author Sir John Mortimer QC will offer a wry, witty and sideways look at life, set to music by former Deep Purple keyboard player Jon Lord and flautist Clive Conway.

The Buckingham Twinning Association’s popular annual boules competition will be held in the cattle market on 13 July, followed by an appearance of the award-winning writer and performer Mike Maran, who will perform Picasso and Me, a touching play about fathers and sons, at the Radcliffe Centre.

The second week of the festival will see more emphasis on community involvement and participation, with a host of family fun activities, comedians, dramatic performances, sports, live music, and more.

Highlights of the second week include an art event at the Old Cattle Pens on 15 July where you can show off your artistic talent free of charge, performances of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest by the town’s Old Gaolers Music and Drama Group each night from 18 to 20 July, country rock ‘n’ roll from the Redlands Palomino Company and The Snakes at the Old Town Hall on 20 July and a community sports event at the Swan Pool on the following day.

Residents will be spoilt for choice on 21 July with two top shows on offer. Chandos Park will be brought to life with the musical sounds of the Bands Jam Music Night featuring local bands Swamis and Near The Knuckle while the Buckingham Community Centre will be filled with laughter as two of Britain’s finest comedic talents, Andy Parsons and Jon Richardson, bring the house down.

Andy Parsons is a regular panellist on BBC2’s Mock the Week and a veteran of the London Comedy Store while Jon Richardson has recently completed a sell-out 60-date national tour supporting Alan Carr.

The fortnight comes to a close on 22 July with a family fun day at Chandos Park, where the guest of honour will be Buckingham’s new Mayor, Councillor Howard Mordue. The event will feature live music from the Buckinghamshire Acoustic Club and Winslow Concert Band, a craft fair, street entertainment, multi sports activities and much more.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure at AVDC, said: “The Buckingham Festival Fortnight is a wonderful showcase for the wealth of talent that we have in the Vale. It’s an opportunity for communities to come together to enjoy and take part in an assortment of performances and activities at many of the town’s excellent venues. With the support of top artists and our residents we hope this event becomes a tradition that puts Buckingham and Aylesbury Vale on the map for many years to come.” 

Councillor Robin Stuchbury, Chairman of Buckingham Town Council’s events committee, said: “This event is one of the highlights of the town’s calendar. It is enjoyed by our residents and by numerous visitors and tourists. There is a wide-ranging selection of performances and activities put together by local organisations and it provides a fortnight of great entertainment. We should all take a great deal of pride in the fact that this town can provide such a high quality event.”

A full programme is available on AVDC’s website at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/buckinghamfestival and can also be collected from the Buckingham Tourist Information Centre in the Old Gaol. Alternatively, contact AVDC on 01296 585210 for details.