Latest news with #WarMemorialPark
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Godiva Festival-goers in Coventry with fancy dress and flowers
The annual Godiva Festival has kicked off in Coventry, with tens of thousands of people due to three-day event, at the city's War Memorial Park, started on Friday and runs until Almond headlined on Friday, with sets from Neville Staple of The Specials, Clean Bandit, and Ocean Colour Scene to come over the weekend."We've come to dance and that's what we've been doing," said Leanne, a festival-goer from Nuneaton, who was dressed up as a butterfly and has been coming to the event for seven years. The festival is also known for showcasing local acts, with groups such as the Coventry-based Phase One Steel Orchestra, who are playing on which began as a one-day event in 1997, is a family-friendly festival that includes dance performances and craft sessions. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Band leader disappointed at 'paltry' Godiva Festival fee offer
A musician has said he is disappointed at being offered only a "very small fee" and not being booked for a Coventry Siddiqui, manager of Impact Steel Band, said he was approached by Coventry City Council to perform on two days at the Godiva Festival, but after sending over the band's rates and receiving a smaller offer, the band was dropped completely."The fee that they were offering was paltry," he said. It was a very, very small fee - but they wanted my full band… the whole shebang."The council said it regularly liaised with more artists than it booked as availability and scheduling conflicts were common, adding supporting local talent was a key priority. The authority added while performers' costs "can be one of the many elements in planning, in this particular case, the artist was unable to perform at the time slot available, which unfortunately meant we couldn't include them in the final line-up". However, Mr Siddiqui said the band, which features 10 to 12 musicians, was available for both in Coventry's War Memorial Park the festival runs from 4 to 6 March the authority announced ticket prices for 2025 would be frozen, and earlier this year injected £330,000 into the event to cover a shortfall for this year's show. 'Fair pay' He said it was a lot to expect local artists to just be "grateful and happy that we are offering you a slot in such a big event". "You want to just get a fair pay," he said. He added the musicians recently played in the Caribbean and performed "all over the country at very high-profile events". The band had played at the festival years before, when it was a free event, said Mr Siddiqui."We love the Godiva, we would love to perform in our home town, it's our city and we're super proud of being in our city," said Mr council added decisions were made based on a number of factors, including availability, how an act fits into the programme and logistical considerations."We continue to value and support the city's local talent and look forward to seeing that in action at this year's festival," it added. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
