The Arundel Festival

By Annie Grace Helena Ring
17/08/2006

The Arundel Festival

It opens on August 25^th at 11am with a children’s funfair in the Jubilee Gardens and at 7.30pm there will be a Spitfire display and Welsh diva Katherine Jenkins will sing with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anthony Inglis, culminating in fireworks by Michael Lakin, Winner of Winners at the International Firework Festival in Cannes.

Other highlights are set to include:

August 26^th:    at 12 noon, the Opening Festival Parade down the High Street to the Town Square.

August 27^th:    Town and country fayre 11am – 6pm in the Rotary Club

                                and at 7.30pm Texas on the Lower Lawn of the beautiful Arundel Castle, built at the end of the
                                11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel.

                                August 28^th:    Family flower and produce show 2 – 4pm in the Football Club

and at 6pm: Women and Words at Dramazone, Dukes Path, at the Top of the High Street.  Two funny and touching monologues illustrating the power of words.

                                August 29^th:      Talkestra 1 at St Nicholas Paris Church, London Road, 7.30pm.  The inimitable Steve Dummer introduces William Walton’s Façade and Constant Lambert’s Piano Concerto.

                                August 30^th:      Arundel Lido Pool Party 7.30 - 10.30pm with barbecue, bands and bar at the Lido on Queen Street.  The Lido open-air pool is open every day - let's hope for good weather!

                                August 31^st:      Talkestra 2.  5.30pm Steve Dummer returns to introduce music by two of the most celebrated French composers of the inter-war years: Milhaud and Poulenc.

                                September 1^st:  Our recommendation. Organ Recital at Arundel Cathedral, London Road by world famous virtuoso Daniel Roth, present organist at St Sulpice, Paris.  He will regale his audience with works by French composers including Messiaen, Alain, Vierne, Tournemire and Cesar Franck on the newly restored and perfectly adapted Arundel Cathedral organ.  He will also be playing some of his own compositions and will finish with an improvisation.

                                And if that’s all booked up, why not try Die Fledermaus in the Barons Hall?

                                September 2^nd: at 8pm, Rose at Dramazone, a tour de force performance recounting a feisty Jewish woman’s journey from Russia to Miama Beach direct from Ireland, via the Edinburgh Festival.

                                September 3^rd:  at 8.30pm the Grand festival firework display attended by the Duchess of Norfolk.

A real bargain for theatre lovers is the Theatre Trail: any eight plays for £25 per person in various beautiful locations scattered around the small town.

Also check out the Gallery Trail www.arundelgallerytrail.co.uk, where visitors can browse the art and crafts, sculpture and design displayed in people’s houses and apartments around the town: sometimes the buildings, interior decoration and stunning gardens, old fashioned and strikingly modern, out-dazzle the art!

Fancy a bite to eat?  Epicurean choice and quality in Arundel are truly superb.  You must try The Edible Sandwich Company on Town Quay, tel 01903 885969, with its range of freshly made home-cooked meals, sandwiches and panini, open 7 days a week during the festival and located on the river Arun.

Or for a larger bite, try gorgeous Butler’s on Tarrant Street, for the most exquisite lunchtime and evening menus that never disappoint.  Lashings of fresh vegetables, fine wine and the best freshly prepared meals for miles around that will make you want to stay in Sussex!

The Delicatessen at number 15 High Street has three different varieties of Fairtrade coffee beans and a good selection of local cheeses including a delectable Cornish chèvre.

Arundel is a veritable treasure trove for antiques enthusiasts, who will marvel at the numerous antiquarian galleries and stores

And finally, why not hop on one of the relaxing daily boat trips down the river to South Stoke for beautiful views of the countryside and a glass of Champagne.

The Festival runs from August 25^th to September 3^rd 2006, and its website address is www.arundelfestival.co.uk.  The box office hotline is 0870 118 1646.