A Summer of Surprises to help mark the start of Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture 2021 will begin this weekend.

A Summer of Surprises to help mark the start of Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture 2021 will begin this weekend.

The Coventry City of Culture Trust has commissioned dozens of musicians to perform pop-up music performances in pubs across the city over the Bank Holiday weekend from Friday, 28 May, to Monday, 31 May.

More than 20 pubs are taking part in every corner of the city and each will see live musical performances from a range of locally based artists across the afternoon on each day.

The project is led by local artist Sam McNulty, and co-produced by Coventry City Council.

The second event in the Summer of Surprises will be the spectacular Mid-Summer’s Fire Garden experience in Caludon Castle Park on 25 and 26 June.

It will be a family-friendly adventure into a fiery night-time landscape and will be an illuminating arts experience brimming with sights and sounds, designed for people of all ages to discover and enjoy.

It will feature Walk the Plank’s intricately carved flaming flower boxes and delicately patterned floral chimneys, flame tipped bulrushes and colossal lilies belching plumes of fire.

Alongside Walk the Plank’s botanically themed sculptures, the Mid-Summer Fire Garden will also feature the incredible Dr Kronovator’s Fire Laboratory installation by Emergency Exit Arts.

The Mid-Summer Fire Garden event is free, but places will need to be booked via coventry2021.co.uk

The Summer of Surprises programme is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as part of the £3.5 million funding announced in April.

Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “Our Summer of Surprises is going to see artists popping up in unexpected locations all over the city, from acoustic musical performances in pubs this Bank Holiday Weekend through to an exciting Fire Gardens trail in Caludon Castle Park in June.

“We hope thousands of people across the city will experience the start of our year as UK City of Culture and I hope that this will be a great way to help everyone feel their way back towards live events in very safe environments.

“Everything will be done to be in line with the latest Covid-19 restrictions and will be designed to offer a surprising summer treat as we get our year as UK City of Culture moving.”

Leader of Coventry City Council, Cllr George Duggins, said: "Our year as UK City of Culture is about involving everyone in the city - bringing events to local communities and showcasing our talented artists.

"The Summer of Surprises will do just that with intimate performances in local pubs which the Council is helping to co-produce, through to a Fire Gardens spectacular.

"We are just a few days in to our year, but already we are seeing the excitement build and spread across the city and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next."

Nathan Jackson, Producer, Walk the Plank said: “The Mid-Summer Fire Garden will be a really spectacular experience – and one that appeals to audiences and communities of all ages and backgrounds. There’s something about heat and light that brings people together and it’s that opportunity to share in something really unusual and unexpected that makes outdoor arts activities so special.”

Booking for the ticketed events will open soon at coventry2021.co.uk