80s new wave stars, The Human League, are set to wow crowds at Preston Guild this September as they headline the Sunday night at the festival’s vintage weekend extravaganza.
The two-day event – A Vintage Guild Weekend- will take place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 September. It is being curated by internationally renowned designers, Wayne Hemingway MBE and Gerardine Hemingway MBE, who will bring a touch of glamour to the Guild festival.
Formed in 1977 the group, fronted by vocalist Philip Oakey, has sold over 20 million records. New romantics need to head to the big top tent on the Sunday night to reminisce to ‘Love Action’, ‘Mirror Man’ and ‘Don’t you want me’ which was a number 1 in the UK and the US. 3000 tickets go on sale today, Monday 25 Junet hrough Ticketmaster. Tickets are priced £22.
They will be supported by a host of acts from across the decades which will celebrate the creative cultural past, present and future of all things Northern, through live entertainment, performances, fashion shows, workshops, music, art and food.
Preston’s beautiful, Grade II Listed Avenham Park will provide the backdrop to a multi-venue playground where, over two packed days and nights of live entertainment and activities, visitors can glam up, put their dancing shoes on and join in a truly celebratory musical, sensory and fashion-inspired event.
On Saturday night festival goers can show off their styling at The Back to ’42 Guild Ball. This unique event, which is set to be one of the highlights of the weekend, will transport people back to the Guild that never was and help reinstate this event that was cancelled due to World War II. With a bespoke 1942-inspired menu by Paul Heathcote, authentic cocktails, orchestras, cabaret, dance lessons in an immersive, set dressed big top, revellers will exchange their modern money and go pre decimal with pounds, shillings and pence and dine and dance into the night. Tickets for the ball also go on sale today, priced £42.
Preston Guild is celebrated just once every 20 years so is a ‘once in generation celebration’. It can trace its history back 800 years to the time of Henry II in 1179 and is a mix of traditional civic events and outdoor concerts expected to bring up to one million visitors to the city.
Live bands and artists from past and present across a range of genres, from swing to rave, will entertain crowds as we celebrate previous Guilds through the ages from 1922 to present day.
Throughout A Vintage Guild Weekend revellers will be able to immerse themselves in the culture and style of the Guilds of 1922, 52, 72, 92 as well as taking a crystal ball peak into the future Guild of 2032: There will be the opportunity to take part in interactive fashion, design and art workshops, have your hair and makeup done by stylists, take part in dance classes and viewing exhibitions of old-time Guild memorabilia and classic vehicles.
Soul lovers should head to the beautiful Spiegel Tent where guests will be able to groove to sounds of the 60s and 70s from 3pm-midnight. The event will be an eight-hour session of great music, from soul through to the earliest days of disco.
Event-goers will have the opportunity to take part in live arts and craft and fashion workshops, learning skills including graffiti, knitting and even yarn bombing. They can also see catwalk shows displaying timeless, classic and future fashion and take part in public fashion parades
A Vintage Guild Marketplace will offer a range of stalls selling an eclectic range of new, recycled and re-used vintage themed wares from clothing to accessories, homeware to music memorabilia.
At the same time, Preston Guild 2012 Square Food Festival will take place in the adjacent Winckley Square. The Georgian square will be home to a host of stalls offering a selection of local and international food and drink.
The two-day event will include cookery demonstrations, tutored tastings and workshops. Children and adults alike will be welcomed into a Food Adventure Playground where they can play the giant Stockpot Game, test their fishy knowledge in the hilarious ‘Tunaversity Challenge', have a go at a large scale farm animal jigsaw, or get ready to run in the Ostrich Egg and Spoon races!
On Sunday 2 September A Vintage Guild Weekend will culminate with special headline acts performing for crowds in the big top, whilst those who prefer sounds of the 90s can rave away in the beautiful Spiegel tent.
Stella Hall, Preston Guild 2012 festival director says: “A Vintage Guild Weekend promises to be one of the most stylish, colourful and exciting dates in the calendar this year.
“It will celebrate the best in Northern fashion, dance, food and music and also look forward to how the future of Preston Guild might look – a real journey through time and style.
“Gaining the support of Wayne and Gerardine is a real coup for Preston Guild. Having two such inspirational names in design lend their creative vision and expertise to this event is extremely exciting and will be an event that is not to be missed.”
Wayne Hemingway MBE says: “Preston Guild is a really exciting celebration of northern life and culture and as someone born and bred in Lancashire I’m very pleased to be a part of it.
“A Vintage Guild Weekend is going to be very much a grassroots festival, drawing on local creativity, style and cultural references from across the decades, to create something which is truly unique to Lancashire.”
