News
Countdown to Caldmore carnival
Community groups in Caldmore are making the final preparations for the Caldmore village festival which will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend. The aim of the three-day festival is to demonstrate and celebrate local talent in a series of local cultural events.
The weekend kicks off on Saturday at 9pm with a six-a side football tournament at the main festival venue, Caldmore Primary School. Bands, DJs and dance acts will provide the entertainment on the main stage throughout the three days and there will be a variety of stalls and rides for children. A kids club will be open at the Walsall Christian Centre in Corporation Street West and a number of craft workshops are being held at various venues. The Aisha Mosque on Rutter Street is holding an open day and a flower festival will be held at St Michael`s and All Angels Church.
On Sunday, the Mandir Baba Balak Nath Hindu Temple on Caldmore Road has an open day and festival goers can cheer on a team from Caldmore taking on the mighty Manchester at an exciting Kabbadi event at Walsall Rugby Club in Delves Road. The rugby club also hosts a stonelifting exhibition featuring the legendary Shahzada Saleem.
On Bank Holiday Monday, the Caldmore Carnival Parade sets off from the main venue at 2pm and the festival closes with a Bollywood Spectacular finale at 7pm on the main stage.
Community groups including the Glebe Centre, Walsall Black Sisters Collective, the Aaina Women`s Group and the Bath Street Centre are staging events as part of the festival and The White Lion pub in Sandwell Street will feature live music on all three evenings of the festival. Music, comedy and poetry will be staged at The Wheatsheaf pub in Birmingham Road on Monday evening.
Festival co-ordinator Alan Cheeseman of the Chameleon Gallery in Sandwell Street said: “The festival is the result of a long consultation between local traders, residents and community groups. A meeting of the Local Neighbourhood Partnership came up with the idea of holding an arts festival as a way of regenerating Caldmore. The Village Festival Group was formed to engage the community in demonstrating what a fantastic place Caldmore is to live in.”
The full festival timetable can be found at the link below.