Lancashire Encounter, in partnership with Preston Guild Hall

Organisers of Lancashire Encounter are thrilled to welcome Preston Guild Hall as Headline Sponsors for this year’s event.

Lancashire Encounter is a weekend to discover, experience and be immersed in a bold and imaginative spectacle of performance, music, street theatre and art. Approximately 20,000 people attended last year’s pilot event, which took place in Preston City Centre beneath a series of custom-made red canopies and brought the city alive with a buzz of creativity.

Thanks to funding from Arts Council England and the Without Walls Touring Network, and support from our headline sponsor Preston Guild Hall organisers are promising a bigger, better programme. From an illuminating procession of light weaving through the city centre to a giant wheel house rolling through the crowds, circus acts to free, hands-on workshops and everything in between; it will truly be a Lancastrian extravaganza.

In order to keep the festival free, Lancashire Encounter 2016 needs support from local businesses, and there are still sponsorship opportunities available on the website.

Councillor Peter Kelly, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure for Preston City Council said, “We are thrilled to have Preston Guild Hall on-board for Lancashire Encounter 2016. The programme is shaping up to be a fantastic mix of performances and experiences from artists and groups across Lancashire, and is also a great opportunity for Preston to show off all that it has to offer.

We hope to see more local businesses and organisations get involved over the coming months to make this a truly great event.”

Richard Simkin, Head of Operations at Preston Guild Hall said, “We were really pleased to hear that Lancashire Encounter was returning to Preston city centre again this year and are proud to be supporting Preston City Council to make it an even bigger success.

As an entertainment, dining and leisure business at the heart of the city, we are keen to be involved in and support key events like this, which help feed into the local economy.”