12 August 2014
The Ventnor Fringe 2014 - Celebrated being 5 this year and is gaining an unstoppable momentum. VF14 ran from 12th to the 17th August and was busier than ever! Lock-ins, take-overs and and pop-ups helped to create a buzzing creative vibe that could not be dampened by the typically shabby August weather. Long live VF!
Originally created by a team of local students in 2010 the festival follows the core principles of the famous Edinburgh Fringe that inspired it, in which any artist can take part. Since then, the Ventnor Fringe has gradually grown into one of the Island’s most exciting new festivals, attracting more than 300 performers in 2013 from all over the world. Where else could you enjoy a midnight 'lock-in' at the Library, 'pop-up' cinemas, basement bars, pianos in the streets, gigs in locals' houses, mystery tours, woodland sing-alongs and intimate shows in and around an eclectic hillside town?
The creative hub of the festival is the newly refurbished Ventnor Arts club. Once the High Street home of Barclays, this venue is really trending with it's vintage 1920's inspired decor and cool bar area. The club also hosts many interesting music nights and cabaret events. We purchased tickets to see the hilarious 'Ventnor Darlings'... this is what the promotion literature had to say... "Reunited after years apart, The Ventnor Darlings are proud to be back where it all began so very long ago. This largely unrecognised, trend setting musical duo have set aside their differences for an evening of song, tales of their captivating yet sometimes turbulent past, and to share the story behind some of their biggest hits. Join them and their host for a nostalgic look back at the career of the unintentionally innovative, musically adequate, and entirely fictitious Ventnor Darlings".
We had a great time and the show was very amusing... the high point was the spoken word piece about Ventnor charity shops... "A pair of pottery Otters anyone...?"
To allow us to make the most of this brilliant event, we stayed in Ventnor on the opening nite at the Eversley Hotel. Before the gig we enjoyed a delicious meal at the beautiful Hillside Bistro on the High Street.
Originally created by a team of local students in 2010 the festival follows the core principles of the famous Edinburgh Fringe that inspired it, in which any artist can take part. Since then, the Ventnor Fringe has gradually grown into one of the Island’s most exciting new festivals, attracting more than 300 performers in 2013 from all over the world. Where else could you enjoy a midnight 'lock-in' at the Library, 'pop-up' cinemas, basement bars, pianos in the streets, gigs in locals' houses, mystery tours, woodland sing-alongs and intimate shows in and around an eclectic hillside town?
Him and Her are the Ventnor Darlings!
The Ventnor Arts Club
The creative hub of the festival is the newly refurbished Ventnor Arts club. Once the High Street home of Barclays, this venue is really trending with it's vintage 1920's inspired decor and cool bar area. The club also hosts many interesting music nights and cabaret events. We purchased tickets to see the hilarious 'Ventnor Darlings'... this is what the promotion literature had to say... "Reunited after years apart, The Ventnor Darlings are proud to be back where it all began so very long ago. This largely unrecognised, trend setting musical duo have set aside their differences for an evening of song, tales of their captivating yet sometimes turbulent past, and to share the story behind some of their biggest hits. Join them and their host for a nostalgic look back at the career of the unintentionally innovative, musically adequate, and entirely fictitious Ventnor Darlings".
We had a great time and the show was very amusing... the high point was the spoken word piece about Ventnor charity shops... "A pair of pottery Otters anyone...?"
To allow us to make the most of this brilliant event, we stayed in Ventnor on the opening nite at the Eversley Hotel. Before the gig we enjoyed a delicious meal at the beautiful Hillside Bistro on the High Street.
10 out of 10!
