Video: Malt Cross Festival 2016 official trailer
One of Nottingham’s oldest venues will celebrate its original opening with a creative arts and music festival this weekend.
The Malt Cross built in 1877 is one of the last remaining music halls in the UK and has organised a weekend of events including live music, local food, arts and crafts workshops and Victorian history tours.
Among the acts performing are Nottingham musicians Cecil Chamberlain, Midlands blues rockers Lucille and tropicalia pop group Cristobal and The Sea, who will be headlining the Top Hat Stage on Saturday night.
Festival events coordinator Brookln Dekker said: “Everything this year is bigger and better than before – the festival has really grown.
“There’s more activities, more bands, more variety, and definitely something for everyone.”
Friday night will kick off with performances from DJ Mouse, Arc Isla, The Lizards and Flamingods, with an underground bar serving a selection of ‘cocktails with a twist’.
Brookln said: “We’ve never had a band like Flamingods perform here before so it will be a really unique experience.
“Paddy Steer on Saturday night is also set to be a great show – there will be costumes, masks, a groovy set and some really cool, experimental stuff not to be missed.”
This year’s festival theme is ‘open skies’ which takes inspiration from the venue’s glass ceiling and features colourful decorations from Nottingham design company Pop Press.
Throughout the weekend family friendly arts and crafts activities will take place in the downstairs gallery space with artists from Nottingham’s Anti Gallery presenting a live spray-painting exhibition.
A range of craft ales will be served from a pop-up beer tent on the upstairs balcony and festival-style fast food will be available from the main bar.
On Saturday night Plates Records, who are located in the basement of the building, will celebrate their second birthday with a live DJ set in a unique underground cave.
Brookln said: “We usually offer tours of the caves every day but unfortunately due to maintenance work that won’t be happening this weekend.
“Instead we are offering heritage tours of the city and there will be storytelling sessions from our Victorian guides.”
An independent market featuring local, national and regional stalls will take place in the music hall on Sunday, with arts, crafts and film workshops continuing throughout the day.
All events are free but may be subject to limited capacity.
For more information visit The Malt Cross website or call 0115 941 1048.
