Successful launch for Plymouth festival

After a hugely successful opening to the 2009 Plymouth Summer Festival with the Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival (May 1-10), the Festival is now well under way with a packed programme of events offering some great entertainment for all the family.

16 May:

Everyone’s favourite cheesy pop experience – the Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast live on the BBC Big Screen, on the Piazza

18 May:

Breakin’ Convention comes to Plymouth’s Theatre Royal. This unique festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre has received rave reviews and sell-out shows at Sadler’s Wells in London for five years.

Check out the world’s greatest B-boys, Korea’s MyoSung, plus American legend Ken Swift with his crew VII Gems Rock Division, and French entertainer Salah, who mixes Hip Hop dance with mime and clowning to magical effect and is known as the “Charlie Chaplin of Hip Hop”!

22 – 25 May:

After a successful debut last year, The Plymouth Volksfest takes place again in the picturesque setting of Newnham Park and looks set to attract even more Volkswagens and more than 25 live bands for 2009.

24 May:

In one of the great community and sporting events of the year, 5,000 runners will take to the streets of Plymouth for the annual Plymouth Half Marathon which starts from Plymouth Hoe Promenade.

25 May:

Start of the OSTAR 2009 single handed transatlantic race, from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island. The Original Single Handed Trans-Atlantic Race (OSTAR) is the world’s oldest solo ocean challenge, dating back to 1960. Founded by Blondie Hasler and first won by the circumnavigator Sir Francis Chichester, the race is known as the ultimate challenge.

Full details of all events taking place as part of the Plymouth Summer Festival can be found at plymouthsummerfestival.com.

Still to come:

Navy Days (September 5 and 6), the British Fireworks Championships (August 11-12), the Sutton Harbour Festival (July 25 – August 4), city centre favourite, Britain’s biggest farmers market Plymouth Flavour Fest (August 14-16) and superstar rock n’ roller Rod Stewart at Home Park (July 2).