Get ready for a big Bank Holiday extravaganza as North Liverpool’s finest young performers take to the stage at Croxtethvision – an exciting, brand-new community festival funded by the National Lottery.
It’s being held at La Salle Hotel School, Carr Lane East in Croxteth on Bank Holiday Monday 8th May from 12pm to 5pm – and is set to celebrate the next ‘Superstars of the Community’ with a Eurovision spin-off that’s certainly not to miss! The event is free to attend and open to all – promising a perfect day out for local families.
A full stage programme of live entertainment and musicians will soundtrack the afternoon. Opening the day, the Community Choir will perform followed by a short welcome speech by West Derby MP, Ian Byrne to opening proceedings. First on the stage, Liam McGarry an amazing singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been steadily climbing in popularity; with Andy Hodgson up next and bringing his up-beat style with sing-along covers to please the crowds.
Ryan Rooney, a local singer songwriter from Norris Green will perform off the back of recent shows at Liverpool Sound City and playing alongside the likes of Jamie Webster, Mason Owens & Tom Rogan at the O2 Academy. Joining Ryan is the brilliant Chloe Judge; an LMA star-graduate from Walton. She started writing and producing disco-infused music in lockdown and wrote her first song ‘Just For Now’ which was received with great acclaim – rounding off the afternoon line-up of music on a high!
If all that dancing and singing gets you hungry, there will be free street food available all day. It’s first-come-first-served, so do arrive early! Cooked by La Salle Chefs, the menu features British & Welsh items to celebrate the Coronation King Charles III and traditional Ukrainian dishes to mark the incoming Festival of Eurovision. Head Chef James Holden is joined by award-winning young chef Diana Kysheniuk – a Ukrainian schoolgirl living in Liverpool, who just came 2nd in the Springboard Future Chef 2023 competition out of 14,000 entrants nationally at the Grand Final in London.
Keeping those kids happy, Croxtethvision is set to be jam-packed full of brilliant activities for all the family; with free bouncy castles from Phoenix Castles; craft-making with Karonga and design a kite with SandArt Workshops; free glitter faces and face-painting by Glitterbugz, boxing sports coaching, dance schools and much more.
La Salle Hotel School is a social enterprise delivering training in hospitality skills like culinary arts, and horticulture to diverse audiences – but with a specific aim to train up the next generation of budding young chefs and business talent for a successful career in the local Visitor Economy. With two big occasions in quick succession, the whole Croxteth community is uniting to put on a festival to remember and welcome in the Spring.
As the Bank Holiday also marks the Big Help Out, a national day of volunteering. A host of local organisations doing amazing work in the area will make up the Community Marketplace, promoting a range of brilliant volunteering opportunities, giving a chance for people to make a real difference in Croxteth & Norris Green whilst meeting new friends, learning new skills and giving back! Attendees are encouraged to sign up for opportunities that take their interest.
Finally, the La Salle Kitchen Garden Open Day tours will give visitors a chance to learn how to grow food-producing plants sustainably, with a chance to seed and take your own plant home! Led by Myerscough College and University of Liverpool’s Food Grower’s Network.
Gerry Proctor MBE, Chair said:
“We are delighted to be working with amazing local organisations from across Croxteth and Norris Green to stage this welcoming, fun and memorable day out for all! I can’t wait to see rising stars of the stage, alongside the many Superstars of our community who are really making a difference in this area.
With a selection of mouth-watering street food and plenty to keep children occupied all day what’s not to love? We’re welcoming the Eurovision spirit with open arms, and would encourage all attendees to engage with our Community Marketplace stallholders to learn about what they can gain from volunteering with a local organisation, as part of ‘The Big Help Out’. Volunteering can be a wholly-rewarding, life-changing thing to do, both personally and for other people! We’re certainly going to be ‘United by Music’ as is the message of Eurovision 2023.”
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