SUNNISIDE PLAYS HOST TO OCTOBERF1RST FESTIVAL
WITH autumn now upon us, Sunderland City Council has organised an exciting festival to mark change in seasons, kicking off this weekend (Saturday 24th October) with a live 3D disco in Sunniside.
OCTOBERF1RST 2009 runs between 24th October and 1st November with highlights including the chance to represent Sunderland in the World’s first ‘Great Street Games’, a live audio-visual 3D experience and local produce on show at the Farmers’ Market to be held in the city.
Organised by Sunderland City Council, OCTOBERF1RST is part of the Quick Wins project. This is a multi-stranded programme of action that aims to encourage residents in and around Sunderland to make the most of the city centre and use it as a place to spend their time.
Cllr Denny Wilson at Sunderland City Council said: “There is so much happening this autumn in the city centre and throughout the OCTOBERF1RST Festival visitors can get involved in a range of exciting activities, such as art and museum programmes, an animation workshop and a Darwin Discovery Day.
“We also want the people of Sunderland to represent their city in The Great Street Games a massive participatory socially inclusive, high-tech athletics tournament.”
Launching OCTOBERF1RST is a live audio-visual disco in Sunniside Gardens featuring a 3D Disco, created by artist collective NOVAK - originators of the World’s first fully audio 3D club experience. Everyone who goes down will be asked to wear 3D glasses to fully appreciate the unique 3D audiovisual performance that has been commissioned specially for OCTOBERF1RST.
NOVAK have performed at Glastonbury Festival with Calvin Harris, Chemical Brothers in Trafalgar Square and Kraftwerk in Bucharest, as well as across the world in student unions and clubs. Joining NOVAK will be the DJs, Ward10 and VJs, Liam Carlin a.k.a. Basic Production and Michael Gardiner a.k.a. Boxed Roomer.
During the OCTOBERF1RST festival, everyone is getting the chance to represent Sunderland in The Great Street Games. This is a World-first event being held in Sunderland, Gateshead and Middlesbrough on four days (29th October - 1st November).
Media artists KMA will create a large scale outdoor kinetic light work that links the three cities at the same time via a real time physical game. Great Street Games has been commissioned by the Bupa Great North Run Cultural Programme.
The games are held in the outdoors and uses projected thermal-imaging technology to create jaw-dropping interactive play arenas in which the physical movements of the players will determine the outcome of the games.
Later this month, also as part of the Quick Wins project, the Shop in Sunderland F1RST campaign is launched. As well as offering practical support to businesses the campaign is designed to encourage Sunderland residents to shop in the city centre.
Cllr Denny Wilson concludes: “Throughout the festival there is something for everyone and I hope people are able to take the time to go down and take part in some of the activities organised in the city centre.
“Sunderland City Council recognises that this is a challenging time for business and is investing in our city centre to do all it can to support local retailers, bars, cafes, restaurants and services.
“Sunderland has some fantastic shops, bars and restaurants and through the Shop Sunderland F1RST campaign we want to really make people realise what there is on the doorstep and stay local.”
For more information about the OCTOBERF1RST Festival, visit www.sunderlandevents.com
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
3D Disco
Saturday 24th October Sunniside Gardens 7pm – 9pm,(DJs from 6pm) FREE Website: http://www.novakcollective.com/wordpress/
This promises to be a great event to launch OCTOBERF1RST - a live audio-visual disco in Sunniside Gardens featuring a 3D Disco, created by artist collective NOVAK – originators of the World’s first fully audio 3D club experience. Everyone who goes down will a free pair of 3D glasses to wear for NOVAK Collective’s unique 3D audiovisual performance that has been commissioned specially for OCTOBERF1RST.
NOVAK have performed at Glastonbury Festival with Calvin Harris, Chemical Brothers in Trafalgar Square and Kraftwerk in Bucharest, as well as across the world in student unions and clubs. Joining NOVAK will be some of the best VJs in Sunderland.
NOVAK would be happy to be interviewed if you would like to speak to them more about the event and there’s a photo below, which can be sent as a jpeg – it looks like great fun.
Represent Sunderland in a World-first event - The Great Street Games
Thursday 29th October – Sunday 1st November
Outside the Old Fire Station, Dunn Cow Street 5.30pm – 11pm FREE
Website: www. greatstreetgames.org.uk
This is a World-first event being held in Sunderland, Gateshead and Middlesbrough on four days. Media artists KMA will create a large scale outdoor kinetic light work that links the three cities at the same time via a real time physical game. And we want the people of Sunderland to go down and represent their city in this massive participatory socially inclusive, high-tech athletics tournament.
Great Street Games has been commissioned by the Bupa Great North Run Cultural Programme.
You’ll see from the photo below that the games are held in the outdoors and uses projected thermal-imaging technology to create jaw-dropping interactive play arenas in which the physical movements of the players will determine the outcome of the games.
Players will develop game-playing skills as they progress through a number of levels and of course help Sunderland to victory.
Farmers’ Market
Saturday 31st October, Park Lane (near the Borough), Sunderland
9.30am – 2.30pm
This is the first Farmers’ Market to be held in Sunderland City Centre and is a great opportunity to visit stalls featuring local produce. The delicious fruit, vegetables, cheeses and sweet things are fresh and because they are local you can enjoy them even more – knowing that they have not travelled thousands of miles from where they were produced.
Media information: Sara Fisher at Press Ahead on 0191 516 6235 / sf@pressahead.info