Telford celebrates 50 years of existence this year with a programme of events to celebrate the occasion. A unique Sakura Festival on Saturday 21 April will be sponsored by one of Telford’s major employers, Maxell. The festival will deliver a taste of the East, with beautiful flowering cherry trees and Japanese street food along with Taiko drummers and Japanese music. Following on from that, Spring into the Park will mark St George’s Day in style with an outdoor party on Sunday 22 April. As well as performances, stalls and food, there will be a touch of nostalgia with some old-style events also planned – more details will be released soon.
Next year also sees Oakengates Theatre @ The Place reach 50. To celebrate, the venue will host a newly commissioned Telford-themed pantomime from 25 March to 5 April. Especially written for Telford@50, ‘Pantomania’ will pay homage to the people and places of Telford in a fun-packed traditional show with comedy gags, audience participation and frivolity. The Kite and Flight Festival in May will see aerobatic displays fill the skies, and July’s Carnival of Giants will keep up the celebrations, with community groups being invited to take part and create costumes, music and dance routines.
Council leader Shaun Davies said, “We’re looking forward to a fantastic landmark year with lots of memorable events for our residents and visitors to take part in. We want to celebrate Telford as an ever-developing town, a great place to live and work in or to visit. Our events will also help to show what Telford stands for today and the exciting future ahead.”
