Latest news with #GodivaFestival
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Clean Bandit to headline Coventry Godiva Festival
The headliners for this year's Godiva Festival have been confirmed as Marc Almond, Clean Bandit and Ocean Colour in Coventry's War Memorial Park the Coventry City Council-organised festival runs from 4 to 6 this month, the authority announced ticket prices for 2025 would be frozen. They go on sale next for a cover of Tainted Love with his band Soft Cell, Almond headlines on the Friday, with Clean Bandit, who have had four number one singles since forming in 2008, follow on Saturday. Birmingham's Ocean Colour Scene, who enjoyed great success with album Moseley Shoals in 1996, round things off on Sunday. "This year's line-up sees international superstars taking to our stages at the War Memorial Park in Coventry alongside some of the city's up and coming finest musical talent," said the authority's deputy leader, Abdul Salam acts featuring across the weekend include Coventry music legend and co- founder of The Specials, Neville performing are synth-pop band, Heaven 17 and M People lead vocalist, Heather Small. Dance group Diversity will return after performing at the event in 2023.A second stage, called the Cov Stage, will host local talent throughout the will also be a Family Field, which will host live entertainment and interactive activities."As always, our line-up is diverse and covers a broad range of genres. We have something for everyone - there's music, performers, activities and outdoor entertainment," continued Mr Khan."By coming along and enjoying what's on offer, you're playing a vital role in securing its future at a time when festivals across the UK are facing challenges." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Coventry's Godiva Festival ticket prices frozen for 2025
Ticket prices for the Godiva Festival have been frozen for the 2025 event, organisers have announced. The popular festival will welcome music lovers back to the War Memorial Park in Coventry on 4-6 City Council, who organise the event, have announced that early bird weekend tickets can again be bought for £29, while family weekend tickets will be available for £79. Deputy leader, Abdul Salam Khan, said the freeze will allow "everyone to enjoy the festival". The event has been organised amid a backdrop of questions over its financing, with calls made by an opposition council group for the festival to fund its own costs. The council have injected £330,000 into the event to cover a shortfall for this year's show. However, Mr Khan said the prices have been frozen to offer "great value for money" for fans. "Every year we see thousands of people from the city and beyond enjoy an amazing three days of top music acts, local talent and family fun, and I'm already looking forward to this year and another incredible line-up," he said."Also, this year we have extra security measures and new entry conditions designed to help people feel at ease and able to enjoy everything that is on offer."As part of the announcement, the council confirmed that the minimum age for teenagers attending without an accompanying adult will rise from 16 to 18 years.A new 'Teen Ticket' category has been introduced for those aged from 13-17 at a lower rate than an adult 18+ ticket, and a child's ticket for those aged five to 12 years, which is at a lower cost than last bird tickets will be on sale from 31 March. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Coventry's Godiva Festival needs review, says council Tory group
A group of Coventry councillors want a review of the city's annual Godiva Festival, which they think should cover its own costs. The opposition Conservative group said the council-run event was "over-inflated" at a meeting this proposed to axe a £330,000 cash injection from the council to cover a shortfall for this year's show. But the council's leader said the authority reviewed the event every year and hit back at the group's criticism of the music festival. The cash boost was agreed as part of the ruling Labour group's budget at the meeting on Tuesday. It comes after last year's concert saw a drop in ticket sales, causing a £200,000 overspend by the cash-strapped at Tuesday's meeting, deputy Conservative group leader Peter Male labelled the cash boost a "bailout" and called for a review. "The Conservative group has decided that now is the time to review the future of the Godiva Festival and propose to direct this bailout elsewhere," he said."What started as a community event promoting local talent, has morphed into a larger event with spiralling costs and declining ticket sales."Why should council taxpayers pick up the tab?"Council leader George Duggins said he did not think the group's plans were "coherent or cogent"."After each year we sit down and number crunch, so the review of Godiva Festival is certainly ongoing so I don't think there's anything that we wouldn't agree with there," he said."It's constantly reviewed, it's like everything else that we do."This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Coventry: Godiva festival to get £330k council cash boost
A music festival is set to get a £330,000 council cash injection, despite its annual funding being cut last said they wanted to ensure the popular Coventry City Council-run Godiva Festival is affordable and keeps money is due to be approved on Tuesday, and is part of a one-off £400,000 boost for city events, put forward by the authority in its final investment has been made possible through a boost in government funding for the council. The council overspent on last year's festival, with a £200,000 deficit blamed on lower ticket sales and soaring last year's event, councillors agreed to axe a yearly £300,000 council subsidy for it, which was die to start in the 2025-26 financial year, as part of a £30m savings plan. Labour councillor Richard Brown, cabinet member for finance, said the festival's total cost was more than £1m, and the council had gradually reduced its input over the years."If the question is: 'Will we continue to look for sponsorship to eat into that £300k?', yes we will," he said."But I am conscious that I think it's something like 60-70% of people that go to the Godiva [festival] are from Coventry." He added the authority would like to keep the festival going and would continue to see if they could drive costs down. 'We're not decimating library service' The authority defended its plans to continue running the festival, despite plans to move four libraries into other buildings, as part of efforts to save £3m per signed petitions calling for the libraries to be saved. The council's Labour leader, George Duggins said it was about "balancing things" and the council did not want to see Godiva festival not take said the plans for libraries were about using resources in the best way and stressed that they would be moved, not closed. "We're not decimating the library service, that's not fair to say. We are moving libraries and communities have had their say on that.""In some instances that's not popular, but we have to make the best use of resources that we can."We've always said that it's not about buildings, it's about service delivery, and that is what those proposals are." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New firm found for delayed Coventry Ikea cultural hub plan
A new contractor has been found to turn Coventry's old Ikea into a cultural hub after the collapse of the project's previous firm. The city council said they have found a company to take on the delayed project after a "thorough" review of scheme would see the former Ikea building converted into artists' studios, post-production filming facilities, galleries and a project had stalled after former contractor ISG went into administration in September. Council officials said only two companies were interested in taking the project on and a final agreement still needed to be signed with the successful bidder. Work on the building had originally been due to start this summer before last year's set week council papers revealed that the Ikea building project and Godiva Festival were the main reasons for a £1m pressure on council budgets. Pre-construction and holding costs for the former furniture story were £865,000 of which more than half, £480,000, were from business rates owed to the authority, the council news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
