The 12th annual Ouseburn Festival will take place across the Ouseburn Valley on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th July.

Always a highlight on the region’s events calendar, this year’s festival aims to celebrate the region’s diverse culture by bringing together communities and groups from the Ouseburn Valley to provide entertainment for all the family!

There is a huge range of activities available for all ages – from horse riding and boat building to plays, exhibitions, open studios and music.

One of the themes this year is ‘interactivity’ and on Saturday 19th July teenagers are invited to attend a music workshop led by Caffrey Bros. band member, Phil Caffrey, from 4pm-7pm at the Byker Ouseburn Regeneration Centre at Spillers Quay. There will be a performance following on from the workshop where participants will play with the Caffrey Bros. Band in front of family and friends.

Later at the same venue the ever-popular Delta Day returns with a line-up of local roots musicians culminating in a ‘everybody on stage jam!’. Artists playing the event from 8pm include The Pukes, Parrish Texas and Pilgrim. Entry to all events is free.

Also on Saturday the festival will once again be organising a Tea Dance aimed at older participants. The Tea Dance will take place from 12pm-3pm at the Byker Ouseburn Regeneration Centre on Spillers Quay. There will be a DJ as well as live music, and a buffet lunch. We offer you to get acquainted with the list of the best dating sites for senior hookups participants of our festival.

There is more entertainment for younger festival-goers on Saturday at the region’s newest theatre, The Round. The Bruvvers theatre group present adaptations of two classic children’s stories from Macmillan’s famous Club 75 series: Bill Naughton’s The Goalkeeper’s Revenge and Alan Plater’s The Trouble With Abracadabra. These wonderful stories are packed full of the usual Bruvvers magic – good old-fashioned family entertainment! Performances start at 11am and 4pm and tickets cost £3.

On the Saturday evening the Ouseburn Valley will play host to a huge variety of musical talent as NARC. Fest returns for the second year! Over 40 live bands and DJ’s will grace the region across seven venues and, once again, all gigs are free! The musical line-up is eclectic to say the least, with country and roots music at The Tyne, exciting, cutting edge electro at The Cumberland Arms, indie pop at Retreat @ St. Dominics, psychedelic wonders at the Star & Shadow Cinema, ambient acoustica at Tanners Arms, quirky rock ‘n’ roll at The Cluny and DJ delights at The Ship. Music starts from 6pm (the exception being The Tyne Bar, whose ‘Yard Dog Alldayer’ begins at 1pm!) and will finish at 10.30pm in time for gig-goers to enjoy the headliner at The Cluny at 11pm.

This year’s headliner is Adem. A favourite on the nu-folk scene, Adem (pronounced Ah-dem) has recently released his third album, Takes, a collection of cover songs by artists he has been influenced by over the years. His brand of quirky and unpredictable folk rock is a joy to behold, both live and on record. He is joined at NARC. Fest by his eight-piece band.

On Sunday 20th the themes of interactivity and diverse cultures come together during the Parade. Winding its way down from the City Stadium at 12pm to the Village Green, the Parade will celebrate cultures from around the world with colourful displays, music and more! This year’s Carnival activities will delight young and old alike, incorporating performances, workshops and demonstrations providing an opportunity to experience a taste of cultures from around the world through art, music and dance.

Experiences include the opportunity to be painted by a Mehndi artist; try on some traditional clothing at a Sari workshop; join in with a dance workshop – from Bollywood to Salsa; marvel at the Afro-Brazilian martial art Capoeria and join in the demonstration. There will be several craft workshops available for children and adults alike including African masks, rain sticks, Mexican clay bowls, jewellery and musical instruments; origami; Aboriginal masks and banners. There will also be a demonstration of crafts from India and face painting from around the world.

Festival-goers will also be able to enjoy a selection of dance and musical groups on a stage at McPhees Yard (behind The Cluny) featuring a Bollywood dance group, an African dance group, a Khatak dance group, Flamenco dancers and a Capoeria demonstration.

During the workshops and the Parade there will be a mixture of stalls on the Village Green featuring gifts and crafts and food from around the world.

The traditional Cumberland Reel returns to the Cumberland Arms on Sunday night featuring a variety of traditional folk entertainment – the perfect way to wind down the festival!

There are also several events taking place across the weekend as part of the festival. Seven Stories, the centre for children’s books, will be inviting children of all ages to help build an imaginative willow Boat Structure. The sculpture will be crafted over the weekend and dock in the Seven Stories Engine Room over the summer holidays and visitors are encouraged to add to the sculpture over the summer. There are also artist workshops and open days available at Northern Print, Artworks and 36 Lime Street; Stepney Bank Stables, the UK’s only inner-city community horse project, will offer lessons for under 5’s and adult beginners. The Phoenix Martial Arts Centre will also be open all weekend for demonstrations and workshops and the Ouseburn Trust Resource Centre will be also be open to educate people on the area, with live music across the weekend too.

There’s so much to do, it’s guaranteed fun for all the family! Visit www.ouseburnfestival.org for continued updates.

For further information on the Ouseburn Festival please contact Claire Dupree at or call 07748 907914, or Angela Barker at or call 0191 275 5612

08 July 2008
PRESS RELEASE
ALL THE FUN OF THE FESTIVAL WITH NORTHERN PRINT IN THE OUSEBURN THIS JULY
Saturday 19th - Sunday 20th July 2008

Northern Print, the North East-based centre for contemporary printmaking, will be opening its doors to would-be print and badge makers of all ages on the weekend of the 19th & 20th July for the Ouseburn Festival, giving visitors of all ages the chance to get creative whilst taking in all the fun of the festival.

The gallery will be opening its doors as usual on Saturday 19th July, from 12 noon – 4pm when visitors are free to wander around and take in the beautiful prints currently being exhibited. The following day – Sunday 20th July - Northern Print will be having a special opening from 11am – 1pm, when the public will have the opportunity to make a print and turn it into their very own badge – a souvenir if ever there was one! Refreshments in the form of coffee and croissants will be served throughout the weekend.

Northern Print’s current exhibition ‘Japan Prints Now’ is a fitting element of this year’s Ouseburn Festival theme, which is all about ‘celebrating cultures from around the world.’  Featuring some of Japan’s most promising artistic talent, the exhibition displays the work of three up and coming Japanese artists selected by renowned printmaker, Hiroyuki Suzuki, who has enjoyed a long association with Northern Print, including artist residency in 2007.

Visitors to the Ouseburn will be able to soak up the oriental culture from Northern Print’s exhibition over the weekend and try their hand at their very own print and badge making, whilst taking in all the sights and sounds from the festival.

Workshops at the festival will include Sari making, Bollywood Dancing and Salsa Dancing lessons, with activities for children including African Mask Making, Face Painting and Origami to name but a few! For more information www.ouseburnfestival.org

Contact Northern Print on 0191 261 7000, email or visit www.northernprint.org.uk

For further information contact Lucy Winstanley or Frances Winn on