Tonbridge Castle Festival of Music and Fireworks 2010

 

Thousands of people enjoyed a musical treat from top-class entertainers at this year's three-day Tonbridge Castle Festival of Music and Fireworks. The crowds picnicked on the lawns of the Castle while music filled the air at this, the tenth consecutive Festival organised by Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council in partnership with MA Concerts and sponsored by McCarthy and Stone and The Courier Group.

 

The festival got off to a tremendous start on the Friday when the West Kent College All Stars made their fourth consecutive appearance at the Festival. They were followed by How Sweet It Is - Motown's Greatest Hits featuring songs from legendary artists such as The Temptations, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. The Saturday evening concert brought together the magic of the musicals with the beauty of the ballroom. Rousing vocal arrangements combined with stunning dance performances inspired by shows such as Evita, Hairspray and Les Miserables led to a finale that saw the crowd rise to their feet as they enjoyed music from some of the world's most popular musicals.

 

The Tonbridge Rock Choir got Sunday's show off to an uplifting start. They were followed by The Magic of the 80s making their debut performance with an incredible 40 hit songs from the decade that discovered Boy George, Madonna, Blondie, Bon Jovi, Wham!, The Eurythmics and the Human League. This tribute show was the perfect way to close the festival with a party night that saw everyone up on their feet dancing and enjoying the spectacular firework display over the Castle.

 

Cllr Maria Heslop, Chair of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council's Leisure and Arts Advisory Board, said: "This, the tenth Festival of Music & Fireworks was a huge success with a variety of acts and music to suit everyone. The acts all went down very well with the crowd and everyone got into the festival spirit. We have such a fantastic back drop for the firework display at the end of each night."

 

The shows producer Andrew Wyke said "We are delighted to have celebrated ten years of The Tonbridge Festival of Music and Fireworks. It is a real testament to the support of the local community that each year the event goes from strength to strength. The WKC Allstars gave a fantastic performance on Friday evening and on Sunday the Tonbridge Rock Choir opened the concert in fantastic voice."