The Bandstand Marathon
The Bandstand Marathon first took place on the weekend of 27/28 September 2008 as part of the launch Open Weekend of the Cultural Olympiad and was organised by Music Development Agency, SUPERACT!
Throughout the South West of England, 50 concerts took place on 50 bandstands and performance areas from Cheltenham to Penzance and Bournemouth to Guernsey; showcasing great music on stages which are not always used for their original purpose.
Bandstands are very much a part of the cultural heritage of this country and SUPERACT! has a history of bringing these venues back into use.
The website outlines the plans for the Bandstand Marathon over the years leading up to the 2012 Games and beyond. It also hopes to provide some form of database of bandstands throughout the UK; thus offering a valuable tool for those with interests in local history, architecture and music alike.
While the Bandstand Marathon is primarily aimed at traditional bands we hope that we will also be hearing music from many other cultures, which form the countries of the Olympic Games.
The aim of the Bandstand Marathon is to gather momentum over the forthcoming years, with regions joining in as the years go by. SUPERACT! is delighted to be working with the Creative Programmers of the Cultural Olympiad throughout the UK and their help is invaluable to this venture. By 2012 we hope the whole country will be enjoying the experience that is the BANDSTAND MARATHON.
