A DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES – This year’s 9th Annual FREE Festival will take place at our usual venue in The Wiend on SATURDAY 7th SEPTEMBER 2019
CALLING ALL SYMPATHETIC BANDS, SOLO ARTISTS, DUOS, BUDDING BARDS, COMEDIANS & OTHER ENTERTAINERS – HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO PERFORM AT THIS YEAR’S EVENT.
If you or someone you know would like to perform at this year’s festival then please download and fill in our APPLICATION FORM and return it to us before 28th February 2019 to diggersstageentertainment@gmail.com
It’s been twelve months in the making, and here it is at last, this year’s final Wigan Diggers’ Festival programme.
The organisers believe it has all the makings of our biggest and best yet, as well as an enjoyable, fun day out for everyone.
In brief: A feast of 24 excellent bands, duos, solo artists, poets and other performers (amongst them two radical choirs), a historical digging re-enactment, a puppet show, arts project tent, two educational talks, town centre procession, plus over 50 book, food and other stalls, not least of which, our ever popular “Occupie Wigan” Beer Tent serving our own specially commissioned and locally brewed (Allgates) Gerrard Winstanley Ale, (Prospect) Diggers 1649 Ale, (Holts) Resistance is Fertile Lager, and a range of other excellent beers, ciders and perry.
The event will be officially opened by John McDonnell MP at 12.00noon.
Still not sure what this Diggers thing is all about? Then listen to this excellent version of Leon Rosselson’s “The World Turned Upside Down” by the Barracudas from 1985. It tells (almost) the entire Diggers’ story in 3 mins 46 seconds. Definitely worth a listen if you want to get in the mood for the Festival on Saturday in Gerrard Winstanley’s home town.
An invitation to, and details of this year’s Wigan Diggers’ Festival on Saturday 13th September. #WiganDiggersFest
The event will take place between 11.00am and 9.30pm in The Wiend area of Wigan town centre. (see location map below)
The organisers are promising another free all day fun packed open air event to commemorate Wigan born Gerrard Winstanley (1609-1676) and the 17th Century “Diggers” (True Leveller) movement.
Winstanley and they famously asserted: “The Earth was made a common treasury for all, irrespective of person!” and are described by Tony Benn as “the first true Socialists”.
Last year’s festival was another resounding success with over 2,000 people attending during the course of the day. We hope this year’s will be too.
2014 DIGGERS’ FESTIVAL PERFORMERS
The day’s running order has yet to be fully finalised, however, confirmed as performing are:
BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners: The Lucy Ward Band
An invitation to, and details of this year’s Wigan Diggers’ Festival on Saturday 13th September. #WiganDiggersFest
The event will take place between 11.00am and 9.30pm in The Wiend area of Wigan town centre. (see location map below)
The organisers are promising another free all day fun packed open air event to commemorate Wigan born Gerrard Winstanley (1609-1676) and the 17th Century “Diggers” (True Leveller) movement.
Winstanley and they famously asserted: “The Earth was made a common treasury for all, irrespective of person!” and are described by Tony Benn as “the first true Socialists”.
Last year’s festival was another resounding success with over 2,000 people attending during the course of the day. We hope this year’s will be too.
2014 DIGGERS’ FESTIVAL PERFORMERS
The day’s running order has yet to be fully finalised, however, confirmed as performing are:
BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners: The Lucy Ward Band
Merry Hell
Jade Assembly
Run Out The Guns
Second Hand Wings
Liverpool Socialist Singers
Bolton Clarion Choir
Laura Taylor
Ian Whiteley
Joan Blackburn
Pray for the Weekend
Avital Raz
Our Morals
Tony Kinsella
Anvil Steel Drums
Ken Scally
Joy France
Black Velvet
Maelor l’anson-Hughes
Terry Kinney
Means to an End
Jefferama
Gordon Zola
John McDonnell MP, Chair of the Labour Representation Committee and Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs will officially open this year’s Diggers’ Festival on 13th September. He will also talk about the lasting influence of Gerrard Winstanley & ‘The Diggers’ on today’s working class movement.
Author and TV Documentary film maker David Malone will be giving a talk on the influence of Gerrard Winstanley’s ideas on the later radical thinkers of the French & American Revolutions.
Actor John Graham Davies will once again play the role of Diggers leader, and historic Wiganer, Gerrard Winstanley, in a symbolic digging re-enactment at around 11.30am in The Wiend area, close to The Face of Wigan statue.
There will also be a puppet show telling of the story of the 17th Century Diggers and an all day children’s arts and craft area.
All the above of course is in addition to 40 or more food, book and other stalls and our ever popular “Occu-pie Wigan” beer tent.
If you would like to book a stall for your organisation, community group, co-operative or small business then please download the file via the link provided, complete as appropriate, and then return to the address provided.
Actor John Graham Davies plays the role of Gerrard Winstanley at a symbolic re-enactment of the digging at St. George’s Hill in Surrey in 1649, by the famous Wiganer and a group of people, who attracted the nickname, and became known historically as ‘The Diggers’, at this year’s Wigan Diggers’ Festival.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
