Summer's here and the Big Weekend, one of the city’s favourite events, is coming up in July – three days jam packed with music and entertainment on Parker’s Piece. And it’s all free! This year is even more special as UNISON, one of the country’s biggest unions, is marking its 20th birthday by teaming up with Cambridge City Council to celebrate over the weekend and everyone is invited – there’s even free birthday cake to enjoy!
Festivities begin on Friday night with music from The Mend, John Coghlan’s Quo and headliners Hot Chocolate, one of the most successful bands to come out of the 70s, performing hits including Emma, Disco Queen, Everyone’s a Winner and many more. A spectacular summer fireworks display finishes the evening off in style.
On Saturday, ten hours of entertainment begin at midday. An array of music features on the main stage throughout the day from rock, blues, country and rap to 2-Tone ska favourites The Beat. The Kast Off Kinks finish the night with vintage Kinks hits including Lola, Apeman, You Really Got Me and of course, Waterloo Sunset.
Other attractions include: the Food Hall supported by Ridgeons - a magnet for foodies with all sorts on offer, from artisan breads to chilli products plus the final of the Cambridge Bake Off; films galore in the Cinema Tent; art workshops in the Pop up Art Gallery, celebrating 150 years of Football Association club rules; the ever-popular dance tent; fantastic folk flavoured activity in the Full English Folk Marquee; following last summer’s Olympic fever, more sports than ever before represented in the Grosvenor Sports Zone ; fun, messy science stuff in the Fun Lab supported by ARM and The UNISON Village where you can, among other things, find out about UNISON’s history, enjoy free tea and birthday cake, meet Harry the Owl and on Sunday enjoy a Cuban band.
But it doesn’t end there! Sunday is International Day plus the Cambridge Mela – now in its fourth year. Enjoy wandering around the International Area, featuring DJs, bands and dance from three different continents
There will be two marquees – the Mela Community Marquee and Mela Traders’ Marquee – featuring Asian arts and crafts and delicious food plus the Cambridge Mela Main Stage with music and dance from top national and local acts – a great chance for everyone to enjoy some culture Asian style!
'Commenting on UNISON's 20th Birthday and the Big Weekend Glyn Hawker, UNISON Eastern Regional Secretary said: ‘UNISON Eastern Region is pleased to be working with Cambridge City Council in organising the UNISON Birthday Big Weekend. Since the 1st July 1993 UNISON, the UK's largest public sector trade union, has been delivering 20 years of essential cover for its 1.4 million members. The Big Weekend is an ideal opportunity for us to acknowledge our challenges and achievements of the past twenty years and to look forward to our readiness to deal with the next twenty years to come’.
Full information on all the events throughout the UNISON Birthday Big Weekend can be found at www.cambridge.gov.uk/summer
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