Kenilworth Arts Festival hailed as a 'great success'

The third edition of the festival, which ran from Thursday September 20 to Saturday September 29, attracted over 2,000 people who travelled to Kenilworth from as far afield as Exeter, Norwich and Newcastle.

A mix of music, literature and art events were held at venues such as Kenilworth Castle, Talisman Theatre and the Tree House Bookshop.

Highlights included a multi-media concert from Erland Cooper that combined classical and electronic music with film of his native Orkney, a weekend of literary talks with novelists Kamila Shamsie, Kit de Waal and Donal Ryan, and a packed concert by internationally acclaimed Syrian oud player Rihab Azar.

The festival concluded with two evenings of music in St. John's Church, the first featuring Californian singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop, and the second with Bon Iver's S. Carey and the hotly tipped Billie Marten.

Lewis Smith, Artistic Director of Kenilworth Arts Festival, said: "Now that the dust is starting to settle, I think we can look back on this year's festival with real pride.

"It was an honour to be able to welcome such distinguished artists to Kenilworth, and a joy to be able to showcase the town at its best.

"From the launch of our exhibition through to the beautiful closing gig on Saturday, it's been a very special ten days, and we're pleased to have received lots of wonderful feedback from artists and audience members.

"The festival was a huge undertaking and we're extremely grateful to everyone who helped make it possible - including our partners, artists, audiences and hardworking volunteers."

Plans are already under way for 2019's festival, which will take place from September 19 to September 28 next year. Further details, including the line-up, will be announced in the spring.