WARRINGTON Music Festival made its grand return last weekend – bigger and better than before.
The ticketless, open-air event took place on Saturday, May 25 and filled the centre of Warrington with music for the entire day.
The festival, which was founded in 2007, is organised by Steve Oates from musical development company Score Creative, and Christian Persoglio from Culture Warrington, and Golden Square Shopping centre.
“The Warrington Music Festival is all about community building and it’s a great opportunity for the people of Warrington to come out and see and hear for themselves what an amazing pool of talent we have in our midst,” said Steve.
“It’s great to see so many bands and musicians, either from Warrington or with strong ties to Warrington, coming together again in 2024 for this brilliant town centre event.”
This year, a second stage was introduced to the festival in Time Square, where a diverse range of artists and music genres performed for crowds throughout the day.
Artists such as Olivia Booth, Isla Rico, The Hillcocks and Freight took to the stages in Golden Square and Time Square.
“We’ve seen so many fantastic gigs here over the years and the atmosphere is always buzzing,” said Ian Cox, director of Golden Square.
“What I particularly love about the event is that it brings everyone together – families, friends and couples of all ages.
After starting at midday, the festival continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening, when headliners The Ambersons performed at 10.30pm.
The Ambersons is a beloved Warrington-based band made up of six people, including two brothers.
The band headlined for the second time this year, jumping at the chance to return to the stage at Golden Square.
“When I got the call [to headline] it didn’t take long to say yes,” said Andy Fairnington, the band’s bassist and songwriter.
“We got the phone call and I felt goose bumps.”
The band last headlined the music festival in 2012, when the lead singer, Stephen Fairnington, stepped onto the stage dressed as Willy Wonka.
Speaking to the Warrington Guardian prior to their performance, the Andy and Stephen expressed how strongly they felt about the event and what it brings to the town.
“It’s an event we’ve been connected to for years,” said Andy.
“The fact that it’s free – we need to embrace it as a town, we need to be grateful for it.
“It’s so important, because there’s a lot of towns that don’t have that investment in art and culture, which worries me.
“So, I’m really connected to this event, it’s close to my heart and the band’s heart.”
The Ambersons appeared on stage at Warrington Music Festival on Saturday to huge cheers from the crowd.
While the Willy Wonka costume did not make its grand return, the band did take to the stage, which was decorated with balloons, holding different signs.
Around 30 acts performed at the festival on Saturday in total, filling the town with music in the absence of Neighbourhood Weekender, which is set to return in 2025.
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