Beyond Radio to host stage at Lancaster Music Festival

Lancaster Music Festival is just days away and Beyond Radio is very excited to announce we will be hosting one of the main stages!

The Beyond Radio team will be hosting the Market Square outdoor stage on the Saturday of the festival, which runs from October 12 to 15.

The 13th Lancaster Music Festival is one of the city's biggest events of the year with thousands of people expected to enjoy music in venues large, small and unusual.

The 2022 festival hosted 525 performances and helped to produce a £2.3m boost to the local economy.

For 2023, the festival will be hosting more out of town grassroots and emerging acts than in recent years.

From the Scottish, Balkan folk fusion sound of Blue Giant Orkestar and the Latin rock of Eljuri from Ecuador and New York, to Manchester punk band, Loose Articles; Austrian indie beatboxers, Uptown Monotones (pictured) and the Gazelleband’s Middle Eastern oud and buzuq music, the festival continues to present Lancaster audiences with an eclectic choice.

And Lancaster-based favourites, The Lovely Eggs will be playing at Kanteena on Friday. Tickets can be booked via the festival website.

New attractions for 2023 include performances on unusual instruments in Market Square and The Herbarium and an attempt by concert pianist, Siqian Li (pictured), to play every acoustic piano in the city centre.

There will be more than 60 festival venues across Lancaster, including Lancaster Castle and Priory, shops, a canal boat, and two public squares, all hosting acts playing a wide range of music genres.

The Storey Gardens are a new venue this year, hosting The Craic Inn on Saturday and Sunday when a wealth of celtic sounds can be enjoyed.

Last year, 85 per cent of the acts were local although the festival is truly international with performances by musicians from the USA, Europe, Asia and Africa including the Songs From Home programme at Lancaster Priory.

Most of the festival performances are free, family friendly, cover all musical tastes and are suitable for every age group.

Pubs play a major role hosting events from The White Cross on the canalside to the Tite and Lock at Lancaster Railway Station as well as many more within the city centre itself.

And as if listening to the vast array of music on offer isn’t enough, there’s plenty of opportunities for festivalgoers to participate too.

One of the world's top Latina guitar players, Eljuri, will perform at various venues during the festival.

Among workshops hosted by The Gregson will be African singing where festivalgoers can learn Zimbabwean songs and have the chance to perform them at Lancaster Priory. South African guitarist, Tony Cox will lead a fingerstyle guitar masterclass, and there will be Galician and retro dance workshops too.

Other weekend workshops include an Arabic music masterclass, Dhol and Chinese drumming at The Storey; kazoo playing and unusual instrument craft activities at the Library, and Afro Brazilian dance in Dalton Square.

Manchester punk band, Loose Articles, will be appearing at Lancaster Music Festival.

And on the Sunday, songwriter, Kriss Foster will be in St Nicholas Arcades ready to inspire people to write a song in 15 minutes while in Marketgate, there will be a chance to explore the magic of one of Mozart’s famous works by conducting Lancaster’s Haffner Orchestra.

Even if you’re just popping into a shop or café during the weekend, you might well come across one of a variety of Busk Stops, musicians popping up to perform around the city, or request a song at the Shop Front Juke Box.

Lancaster Music Festival is supported by a number of sponsors and funders including the Arts Council and Lancaster BID and the full line-up is now available in the official Festival Guide at venues and on the festival website.

The 13^th Lancaster Music Festival is run by a not-for-profit community organisation.  

The Market Square stage line up on Saturday October 14, hosted by Beyond Radio, is as follows:

11am Salsa in the Square

11.30am Kozomba Noroeste kizoma and semba dancing

Noon Salsa in the Square

12.30pm Kizomba Noroeste

1pm Hi Sienna - alternative pop

2.15pm Eljuri - Latin rock

3.15pm Do You Like Worms? - indie band

4pm Baybeat street band

4.45pm Sparkling Clogs - Lancashire cloggers collective