Express & Star

Artisan market latest event to take place in new city centre area

A city centre's multi-million-pound transformation will be showcased through another major event next week.

Published
Rob Miles (Hearts Distillery), Nico Chitsa (Nimo’s), Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal (Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for Visitor City) and Lara Davis (LSD Promotions Events Manager), stand in the new-look Victoria Street where they will be involved in the Food, Drink & Artisan Market

Extensive public realm improvement works have now been completed on Victoria Street and North Street as part of a £22 million package of investment in the west of Wolverhampton city centre.

The council said the scheme had created better public spaces that will attract more visitors and enable businesses to thrive and grow through a blended approach of retail supported by events and activities in quality public spaces and city centre living.

On Saturday, June 3, the new space in Victoria Street will host a Food, Drink & Artisan Market run by LSD Promotions, between 10am and 5pm.

It follows the first Wolverhampton Arts Festival in Victoria Street which attracted an estimated 2,000 visitors over the King’s Coronation weekend and will come hot on the heels of North Street welcoming a sell-out crowd to see Britpop legends Blur at the official opening of The Halls Wolverhampton on Friday, May 26.

Further improvement works to come in the west of the city centre include the development of a new Box Space entertainment venue, set to open just off Victoria Street in summer 2024.

The council said that this, combined with the reopening of The Halls Wolverhampton, will bring more than 300,000 visitors a year to that area of the city centre and boost the local economy by £10 million annually.

The works are being delivered through a combination of £15.7million secured from the Government’s Future High Street Fund and council funding.

Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for Visitor City, Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, said: “We want people to visit and enjoy our city centre from the moment they arrive, and our public realm works will be transformational.

“They will deliver real, tangible benefits for businesses, residents and visitors to our city centre, supporting the development of our events strategy and the reopening of The Halls Wolverhampton.

“The Food, Drink & Artisan Market will kick-off a host of major city centre events that will make use of our new public spaces and boost footfall, including Krazy Races and PRIDE.”

The Victoria Street Food, Drink & Artisan Market will host live entertainment featuring a talented DJ and street performers, an eclectic array of stalls offering everything from handcrafted accessories to one-of-a-kind gifts, homemade treats, and street food.

Admission is free and no tickets are necessary.

LSD Promotions Director, Dermot McGillicuddy, said: “LSD Promotions are looking forward to bringing a collection of traders to the newly created space on Victoria Street.

"The council has done a magnificent job of the regeneration of the street.

"We’re excited to bring our free-to-attend event that includes family entertainment, and a range of food, drink & artisan products.”

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