Local talent set to shine at this year's Full Shebang in Mansfield

This year’s festival takes place on Saturday, September 7 in Mansfield Town Centre and marks the fifth anniversary of the event.

Local performers will join the line-up of artists from around the country, bringing a mix of outdoor shows, circus, live music, walkabouts and lots of hands-on fun.

In the lead up to the festival, The Mini Shebang will bring free family activities and workshops to Four Seasons Shopping Centre every Wednesday in August.

Produced and presented by local arts charity First Art, The Full Shebang is funded by Arts Council England, through their Creative People and Places programme, and Without Walls Touring Network Partnership, with support from Mansfield Council, Four Seasons Shopping Centre and Inspire.

Amongst the acts heading to Mansfield will be The Guy in The Luggage Rack by She Said Jump, a comic aerial show with acrobatics performed from a luggage rack and Fussy Foodies by Just More Productions – a kitchen party celebration of roots and culture from the back of a converted VW Beetle.

There’ll also be a bar, but this one serving bass instead of beer with Serving Sounds.

Tended by the Working Boys Club, the show is a multi-sensory, interactive sound installation that creates connection through music.

Teabreak by Trigger, takes you on a journey about tea’s history and its place in our lives, enjoyed with a fresh cup of tea from a tuk tuk and traditional Indian dancing.

Taking to the Shebang Introducing stage will be eight local acts – singer-songwriter, guitarist and trumpeter David Blazye, aerial artist Alex Reed, original indie songs from Greed, three-piece 60s and 70s covers-band AllR8Now, young singer Freya Jane, acoustic covers from singer Niks, original pop-rock from Joshua Todd and carnival dance troupe Mproductiontime2show.

A great line-up of walkabout acts will bring a bit of mischief and silliness including the premiere of a specially commissioned roving performance by Mansfield-based Unanima Theatre, while Swan in Love features a 7ft recycled swan pedalo making its way around the streets.

Inspire’s Little Creatives programme will provide drop-in creative sessions in the central library throughout the day, while in Four Seasons Shopping Centre, the Creative Zone will have a host of hands-on fun including portraits, face painting and more.

As with previous years, the festival has a number of access provisions in place to enable as many people as possible to be able to enjoy the day, including live audio description and live captioning, British Sign Language-interpreted performances, accessible viewing areas, a quiet zone, access ambassadors on hand to help, and easy-read guides available in advance.

Full details of the programme, access provisions and more can be found at thefullshebang.co.uk.

The Mini Shebang – free hands-on family fun – will be at Four Seasons Shopping Centre every Wednesday in August.

Drop-in workshops and activities will run from 11am to 3pm on August 7, 14, 21 and 28 and will be led by artists performing at the main festival.

Activities range from circus skills, crankie theatre-making, marble runs and astro grooving to space-themed crafts and mandala-making – visit firstart.org.uk/minishebang for details.