What you can see and do at New Mills Festival Fringe

New Mills Festival is returning smaller and greater than ever as the New Mills Festival Fringe.
Henry V at New Mills Festival Fringe.Henry V at New Mills Festival Fringe.
Henry V at New Mills Festival Fringe.

Highlights of the fortnight’s fringe include The Tempest at High Lea Park, which will be presented by The Rubbish Shakespeare Company on September 23. Expect cheap wigs, a big stick, and an accessible mix of the original text, with modern – often improvised – dialogue.

Henry 5 is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Henry V. Set in their local pub, the story follows a group of England football fans who watch their beloved team in an international competition. Catch the fun at the Beehive Inn on September 24.

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Following on from their time at The Edinburgh Festival, local comedians Matt Woodward and Jayne Sanders will bring to the Butterfly House the first in a series of Comedy Club nights with the best of “Comedy Newcomers & Old Hacks” on September 28. 
A new addition to the programme is the very first New Mills Jumble Trail - a jumble sale held on the streets of New Mills on September 16. Sign up, set up a stall outside your house and earn some cash from your old things. 
Musician Chris Davies has reinvigorated The Adventures of Prince Achmed - a ground-breaking, first full-length animated film - made in 1926 by Lotte Reiniger - with a new musical score. Catch his performance on September 15 at Spring Bank Arts Centre.
New Mills AFC club historian Allan Jones will put together an exhibition detailing the history of Association Football in the town of New Mills. Including pictures, reports and exhibits. There will be competitions to win club memorabilia, giveaways, the opportunity to obtain complimentary tickets to matches (depending on fixtures), free coaching for children and much more.

his year’s festival will open with a cabaret-style poetry reading in Spring Bank Arts Centre on September 14 at 7pm. More than a dozen poets will regale the audience with verse ranging from the poignant to the profound to the playful.

The Blue Rose Code band, fronted by Edinburgh born Ross Wilson, will bring an eclectic mix of folk, jazz, soul and pop to the festival on September 15 at 7pm in St. Georges Church in New Mills.

Throughout the festival, shop windows across New Mills will display poetry from poets from New Mills, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe. Shoppers and passers-by will find musings on nature, illness, joy, travel, the silly, and the sublime. Near the end of the festival on September 26 at 7pm, some of the poets featured in the poetry trail will perform their poetry in a round-robin style in Butterfly House at the Torrs.

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The last Saturday of the festival will be the Final folk night with performances by Wife of Cain, Gally Canters, Dave Evans Gypsy Jazz Ensemble, and Lazlo Baby. The music kicks off at 7pm on September 29 at The Torrs in New Mills.

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In addition, this year’ s festival will include history talks, a death café, knitting and crafting, wine tasting, afternoon concerts, and much more.

The festival is a two-week annual celebration of community spirit through a diverse range of activities from talks and walks to concerts, gigs, exhibitions, trails, quizzes and performances.

A committed group of volunteers from all walks of life organise the festival.