Smugglers return to the city

After the success of last year's event the Smugglers Festival will be returning to The Green Backyard on Saturday (29th). The programme for the day, starting at 12noon, will include a mixture of local and international folk and world music bands, craft workshops, talks and discussions hosted by the 'Land for What' collective, yummy food and a real ale bar.

Festival organiser Sophie Bostock says: “We are all very excited to be bringing the event back to Peterborough. Last year’s event was my favourite of the five we did, because The Green Backyard is the perfect host venue as there is such a strong community invested in the project. I’m really looking forward to The Odd Beats, who play their own turbo version of traditional Turkish folk music. We’ve also got the mesmerising Gnawa Blues Allstars which is fronted by Moroccan Gnawa master Simo Lagnawi.”

Paul Hetherington, chair of the trustees at The Green Backyard, is delighted to see the festival return: “Last year was a great success, so we’re really looking forward to another great day at The Green Backyard. Smugglers Festival fits perfectly with our ambitions. The festival has some really strong messages about the environment but is also a great day for all the family. In addition to the amazing music and talks, we’ll have delicious locally sourced and ethical food, workshops, traditional crafts and a ceilidh.”

Smugglers Festival is the launch event for Planet B, a two-week long Green Festival initiative that has been curated by Peterborough Environment City Trust, The Green Backyard, Metal and local artists and activists. Looking at the key themes of resilience, relinquishment, and restoration,

Planet B events will include an environmental conference, film screenings, debates, theatre and much more, meaning there will be plenty of activities for residents to get involved with.

Tickets are £8 in advance/£10 on the door. Teens are £4 advance/£5 on the door and under 12s go free (ticket required) from www.wegottickets.com.