Exciting plans have been announced for events in Devizes this year.
Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts's (DOCA) Street Festival will take place on August 30, with a focus on home-grown talent rather than international acts.
Artistic Director Loz Samuels said :“We will take a new approach to Street Festival this year, we don’t know what the impact of Covid 19 will have on international travel and we also don’t know what additional costs would be incurred due to changes in the law that Brexit will create – it makes planning and budgeting much more complex so we are going to let things settle this year and look at international performance again in 2022.
"This year will have a different feel but we know that it will be as amazing as ever. There will be no Confetti Battle but we hope to combine the Colour Rush with the Street Festival which will add an explosion of colour to the day and hopefully attract some new people along to the event.”
DOCA has recently received funding from the Cultural Recovery Funding Scheme - made possible through the Arts Council and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The funding will plug the gap that has been created in DOCA’s budget due to the pandemic, preventing the charity from operating over the summer and generating much needed income.
Staff and volunteers, bolstered by the funding, are excited to get to their 2021 summer programme.
Kelvin Nash, chair of DOCA's trustees, said: “We know people can’t wait to get out and meet up with others and enjoy all the things we might have taken for granted before Covid.
"We also know we are very privileged to receive this highly sought after recovery funding that will help us continue bringing great events to Devizes. We hope everyone will continue to support us this year to make these events happen in a safe way.
"Plans are still tentative of course but it does feel like there is now a light at the end of the tunnel."
As well as the combined Street Festival and Colour Rush event on August 30, DOCA also plans to bring a 'Picnic in the Park' to Hillworth Park on August 22. Keep up to date at www.docadevizes.org.uk
Years of colour and creativity
The International Street Festival in Devizes was first introduced in 1999, and has grown to become one of the biggest and most exciting free outdoor arts events in the South West.
Until the pandemic, alongside the Carnival and Confetti Battle, the events would be celebrated as part of a Festival Fortnight every August.
Over the years, performers from across the globe have flocked to Devizes to take part in street theatre, walkabout performances and more.
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