Spring sounds good at Mermaid Quay's free music festival

14th April 2011

From Saturday 16 April to Monday 2 May, Cardiff’s waterfront will be alive with the sound of music. Come down to Mermaid Quay for FREE musical excitement and entertainment – more than two weeks of sensational, foot tapping, sing-a-long fun.

The week will kick off with a musical treasure hunt on the weekend of 16th and 17th April. Free to enter and with special fun prizes for all participants - Mermaid Quay treasure hunts are always a firm favourite with kids of all ages as they hare round Mermaid Quay following the musical clues. 12 noon to 4pm.

Monday 18th April sees the start of the Mermaid Quay Busker of the Year competition. Come and see some of the best buskers around and make like an X-factor judge to help us decide who goes into the final. Your vote counts. There will be four days of heats - Monday 18th to Thursday 21st, with acts performing from 12noon until the early evening. And join us on Good Friday (22nd) for the finals, when the four best acts from the week are invited back to compete against each other for a cash prize and a bundle of Mermaid Quay goodies. The finalists will perform between 12 and 4pm, the winner and runner up will be announced at 4:30.

The rest of the Easter Weekend (23rd, 24th and 25th) will be given over to live performances from some of Wales' top acts - all free. Outdoor alfresco acoustic performances from 12 until 4 daily, there will be eclectic mix of performers including Jazz, Folk, Latin and Mediterranean to suit all musical taste.

Then it's your turn to make music - by taking part in our free workshops running 12noon until 4pm each day:

• Try drumming & percussion on Tuesday 26th with our African drumming workshop which will use the instruments and rhythms of West Africa as an introduction to different musical styles, instruments and culture. Learn to improvise and express yourself in sound and music, both as individuals and as part of a group.
• Explore your voice on Wednesday 27th with our lively workshop combining movement and breath work, working as a group to perform songs and music from around the world, sing in harmony with others and improvise.
• Or learn how to make a guitar from an empty shoe box, a stick and a few rubber bands (Thursday 28th)!

Register for the free workshops by e-mailing reception@mermaidquay.co.uk with details of which type of workshop you (or your children) want to take part in and your age. We will get back to you with details of what time you have been allocated.

The festival finishes off with another fantastic weekend of live musical performances each day (12noon to 4pm) from Friday 29th to Monday 2nd May. Come along and enjoy our classic covers weekend, acoustic live performances from some of Wales best cover bands and artists.  For more information go to www.mermaidquay.co.uk

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