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Sound

Festivals.

23rd-27th August.
Market Harborough, Northamptonshire.


If you read last month's Now Then you will know how much we love Shambala. Taking place over the August bank holiday, it is a fantastic all round experience and always attracts a large Sheffield contingency, many of them dressed up outrageously for the entire weekend.

Most festivals make big bookings and hope the music will be enough. Shambala always has a great line-up - this year it includes Roots Manuva, DJ Yoda, Mungo's Hifi and more - but the emphasis is always on giving punters a whole package of music, cabaret, comedy, spoken word, art installations, guerilla science lessons, workshops and even the Shambolympics, featuring such athletic endeavours as 'the Pentup- agression-athlon' and 'jumping for a long time'. In short, a proper experience that appeals to all the senses, not just the ears. Just some examples:

IDLER ACADEMY.

The idea of the Idler Academy is to bring back old school teaching subjects and styles. Described as "combining the atmosphere of cultivated leisure that distinguished Plato's Academy with the lively conviviality of the 18th century coffeehouse, and a good dose of the 1950s grammar school", the Idler Academy essentially aims to cultivate academic and practical skills, fostering creativity and intellect to help people become "self-reliant, capable and competent". Lofty aims indeed.

THE BIG BURN.

Shambala welcomes multidisciplinary artist Glenn Anderson back to the festival for the third time this year after the success of his Burning Dragon in 2011. Anderson's team of talented sculptors will build a large creature made out of discarded cardboard, wood and random bits of junk, and then set it on fire for all to see.

THE LAST STOP MOTEL.

The Last Stop Motel is hosted by performance group Rolling Stage, whose motto is "Putting the 'art' back into 'party'". Combining interactive theatre with a guided tour performance twice each evening, it is a hotel experience like no other, taking in entertainment of almost all forms, before concluding with a late night party.

shambalafestival.org

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9th June.
Ponderosa Park.


Festival is a Sheffield institution - a day when people from all over the city and further afield come together to enjoy eight hours of top quality performances across multiple stages, delicious local food and drink, and the peaceful company of others. Oh, and it's completely free of charge.

Peace in the Park began in 2003 and has since grown to encapsulate everything that is great about Sheffield. Its unassuming atmosphere and independent ethos has always been an inspiration to us at Now Then, and we will again host the Other Stage this year, bringing a blend of acoustic merriment and full-band glory to the Ponderosa. King Mojo is in charge of scheduling on the Main Stage, FroZac and Ashanti Beats will oversee the Community Stage, and the usual Dance Tent will be hosted by Sequoia. Elsewhere, the Red House will take care of the Acoustic Stage, while there is also the Kids Zone, featuring arts and crafts, circus skills and music making to keep the little uns busy.

PITP also raises money for worthy causes each and every year. This year, proceeds will be split between Names Not Numbers, which supports small community projects all over the world, and CRESST, a conflict resolution education charity based at Scotia Works in Sheffield.

The festivities run from midday until 8pm on Saturday 9th June at the Ponderosa in Netherthorpe. We strongly advise that you attend this kneesup, because pretty much all tastes (musical and otherwise) are catered for. As I said earlier - friendly, unassuming and independent. You can't say fairer than that.

FUNDRAISERS.

A group of dedicated volunteers work all year round to make sure PITP is possible, while like-minded promoters host events to raise money towards the cause. A number of fundraising events have already taken place, but the biggest is yet to come. Get yourself down to Yellow Arch Studios on 11th May for a night of live bands and DJs spread across five rooms.

VOLUNTEERS.

PITP relies on a small army of volunteer stewards to make the event happen on the day. Volunteers are asked to work four hour shifts - 10am-2pm, 2pm-6pm or 6pm-10pm - and will be rewarded with a free meal, drinks and eternal gratitude. Contact Kinder on stewards[at]peaceinthepark[dot]org[dot]uk if you are interested.

peaceinthepark.org.uk

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