Earlham Park: Who is performing at Rock 'n' Roll Circus festival?
Hosted at Earlham Park, the Norfolk festival hopes to combine a trip to the circus with music acts and performances. The festival will run across three days from Thursday, 14 August, to Saturday, 16 August. This is the first time the event has been held in the city, and organisers say it will be a weekend of family-friendly fun for all ages.
Who is performing?
Early 2000s, pop-rock boyband McFly will return to Norwich this summer to headline the first day of the festival. The quartet, who are known for hits including All About You and Five Colours in Her Hair, will be supported by Eurovision contestant Sam Ryder, from Essex. Festival director, Ali O'Reilly, says: "McFly is the perfect act to open the show. Their energy and iconic hits will set the tone for an unforgettable weekend."The Courteeners will be headlining on Friday evening alongside The Lathums, and local acts will take to the stage, including Arthur Black and Gabby Rivers. On Saturday, audiences can look forward to acts including Blue, Scouting For Girls, Pixie Lott, Jamie Lawson and Sam Fischer. Headlining the final day will be Olly Murs, who said it has been a decade since he last performed in Norwich. He says: "I think I've done quite a few shows in Norwich, from my first theatre tour to Carrow Road with JLS, to Radio 1's Big Weekend... I've done it quite a few times."Unlike a typical music festival, the event will feature performances from internationally known circus groups and workshops from Norwich's Oak Circus Centre. Performances include high-wire routines, cloud swing aerial acts, acrobats and contortionists
What have organisers said?
Ms O'Reilly says it is "not just a music festival" due to the circus acts and adds: "Norwich has a rich cultural heritage, a proven love for live music... we're really excited to be coming."She said organisers were excited to see the festival brought to life. "Earlham Park is an incredible setting. We were blown away by how beautiful it was, and the connections and proximity to the city centre."It's hard launching a new event in a new location, but how Rock 'n' Roll Circus has been received in Norfolk has been brilliant." There are already plans for it to return next year, she said.
What do visitors need to know?
Tickets can be purchased online for each day in advance. They can also be purchased on the door if the event has not sold out. The event starts at 15:00 BST on Thursday and Friday, and at 13:00 on Saturday. There is no direct parking on the site, but there is a direct bus to Earlham Park Gates from Norwich city centre and the train station. For those not able to attend, Edd Smith and the Daytime show will be live with reaction from Thursday evening, and BBC Radio Norfolk will be broadcasting live on Friday.
What other events have been held at Earlham Park?
In May 2015, about 50,000 people flooded through the gates of Earlham Park for three days of music at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.Tickets for the festival, which had acts including Taylor Swift, Snoop Dog, Charli XCX and Muse, sold out within 40 minutes.Clare Hubery, culture and leisure development officer at Norwich City Council, said more concerts have been held there ever since.She previously said: "It was the first concert on that scale, and the first big music event."I think Norwich demonstrated that we can do these kinds of things well, and people turn out and get into the spirit of it."Last year, Ezra Collective headlined a new festival at the park, Wild Fields Festival, which promised two days of music, poetry and wellness.
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