TENS of thousands of visitors had a fantastic weekend in Coventry when the Godiva Festival returned.
People flocked to the city’s War Memorial Park to enjoy three days full of fantastic live music and family fun.
Over 54,000 tickets were sold for the Festival, which was making its return after being sadly cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
And the festival did not disappoint, offering something for all ages.
Performers gracing the stages included Craig David presents TS5, Sister Sledge, Supergrass, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Fun Lovin’ Criminals but there were many more – including plenty of local artists – in the extensive diverse music programme.
Festival attendees also enjoyed plenty of fun in the Family Field with brand new activities such as the Actual Reality Arcade and established attractions like the mini petting farm, birds of prey and funfair all proving popular with families.
Coun Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Events, said: “Once again Godiva Festival brought fantastic entertainment across three days and was a wonderful celebration of everything that makes this city so special.
“It was wonderful to have Godiva Festival back after a year long absence. Many of you have already told us how much you enjoyed this year and how brilliant it was to have live events back.”
He thanked everyone who played their part in delivering a great event, including sponsors, partners and staff, police, security and St John Ambulance, along with all who played their part in ensuring Godiva Festival continued to be a fantastic weekend.
Another popular attraction for the weekend was the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021’s Celebrating Desi line-up which took place across the weekend.
It celebrated the spectrum of music created, inspired or influenced by South Asian communities and saw performances by super producer Steel Banglez and Coventry’s very own Panjabi MC.
To cap off this element of the programme, a special show called The Bollywood Jam, which starred Kanika Kapoor, Mumzy Stranger and Bollyflex, took over the main stage on the Sunday.
Coun Khan added: “Bringing Godiva back in such a landmark year for Coventry as we continue to mark our year as the UK City of Culture 2021 was really important to us. So we were delighted to partner with the Coventry City of Culture Trust to play their part by programming some great additions to the festival weekend.”
The weekend also featured some of best and brightest of the Coventry music scene, with performances from 2-tone icons The Selecter, local rising stars Candid and a whole raft of other local stars across the festival’s many stages.
Godiva Festival was presented by Coventry City Council in association with Free Radio and Greatest Hits Radio and was supported by the Coventry City of Culture Trust.
