2016 Festival of Chichester gets under way!

Accompanied by the Mayor of Chichester Councillor Peter Budge, Monsieur Géroudet set the ball rolling for a pun-packed fourth Festival of Chichester boasting a couple of hundred events over the next four weeks.

The festival’s launch afternoon featured the superbly-talented young musicians of the Chichester Music Academy and also an excerpt from the open-air production of Cyrano currently running at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum.

Events coming up include:

Saturday, June 18

7.15pm. Cyrano, The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, PO18 0EU.

7.30pm. Classical Guitar Gala, West Sussex Guitar Club, Recital Hall, Regis School of Music, 46 Sudley Road, Bognor Regis, PO21 1ER.

7.30pm. Minerva Ensemble with David Le Page, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

7.30pm. The Chichester Singers, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1PX.

Blues on the Farm 2016, Appledram Farm Products, Pump Bottom Farm, Birdham Road, Chichester, PO20 7EH.

Saturday, June 18-Sunday, July 17. First Solo Exhibition – Matisse Kundra, CGC Emporium, 58 North Street, Chichester.

Saturday, June 18-Sunday, July 17. The Conversation, Patrick Kundra, Various Locations Throughout Chichester City Centre.

Saturday, June 18-Sunday, June 26, 10.30am-7.30pm (4.30pm at weekends). Rewire Exhibition, West Sussex County Council, The Guildhall, Priory Park, Chichester, PO19 1NS.

Sunday, June 19

11.30am. City Highlights – Walking Tour, Chichester Tour Guides, Cathedral Bell Tower, West Street, PO19 1RP.

11am. Festival of Chichester Eucharist, Chichester Cathedral, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1PX.

2pm. Who cares? By Greg Mosse, Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

3pm. The Sweet Escape (15), Comme Un Avion, Three Cities, Chichester Cinema at New Park, New Park Road, Chichester, PO19 7XY.

7.15pm. Cyrano, The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, PO18 0EU.

Sunday, June 19, 7.30pm. All That Malarkey – Classical Cabaret Ensemble, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

Blues on the Farm 2016, Appledram Farm Products, Pump Bottom Farm, Birdham Road, Chichester, PO20 7EH.

Monday, June 20

10.30am. If Walls Could Talk – The Edes House Tour, Edes House, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RQ.

1pm. Choro! Traditional Brazilian Music, The Chorões, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

7.30pm. An Evening Visit to War-Time Shanghai, Chichester Library, Chichester Library, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QJ.

7.30pm. Harp with Wind Quintet, St John’s, Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1EL.

Tuesday, June 21

11am. Chichester City Walks, Chichester City Tours, Meet Outside the Library, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QJ.

2.30pm, two hours. Vintage Nature Ramble at Fishbourne Meadows, Chichester Harbour Conservancy, Fishbourne Parish Church Hall, Fishbourne Church, PO19 3XT.

6.30pm. Living with Invisibility – A Lecture by Professor Graham Ward, Chichester Theological Society, Chichester Cathedral, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1PX.

7.30pm. Isosceles Presents Probably the Best Comedy Songs in The World Ever, Maybe, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

weds, June 22

11am. Chichester City Walks, Chichester City Tours, Meet outside the Library, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QJ.

Wednesday, June 22, 1pm. Bogdan Vacarescu (Violin) and Victor Ryabchikov (Piano), Amici Concerts, Edes House, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RW.

2pm. Who cares? By Greg Mosse, Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

7.30pm. Isosceles Presents Probably the Best Comedy Songs in The World Ever, Maybe, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

7pm. Keats in The Making, Words and Wine, Vincent Gray Sculptures, Vincent Gray Studios, The Courtyard, Crows Hall Farm, Chilgrove Road, Lavant, Chichester, PO18 9HP.

Thursday, June 23

1pm. Brahms at Lunchtime, The Hanover Band Chamber Ensemble, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 IUU.

3pm-4.15pm. The Storyteller, Len Gould, Upstairs at St Martin’s Tea Rooms, 3 St Martin’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1NP.

6pm. City Highlights – Walking Tour, Chichester Tour Guides, Cathedral Bell Tower, West Street, PO19 1RP.

7.30pm. George Orwell: What Poetry?, Chichester Library, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QJ.

Friday, June 24

11am-12.15pm. After The Conquest – 1066-1216, Chichester Cathedral Education Department, The West Door, Chichester Cathedral, PO19 1PX.

1pm. Brahms at Lunchtime, The Hanover Band Chamber Ensemble, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, P019 IU.

3pm-4.15pm. The Storyteller, Len Gould, Upstairs at St Martin’s Tea Rooms, 3 St Martin’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1NP.

6pm. Architectural Gems: Chichester’s Historical Buildings, Chichester Tour Guides, Cathedral Bell Tower, West Street, PO19 1RP.

7.45pm. Tim Richards’ Hextet, Chichester Jazz Club, Pallant Suite, South Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1SY.

8pm. John Bramwell (I Am Kloot), St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

Friday, June 24-Monday June 27, 10.30am-5.30pm. Richard Whincop Paintings, Festival Artists, 2 Redmans Cottages, Midhurst Road, Lavant, Chichester, PO18 0BJ.

Saturday, June 25

1.30pm. Keats in The Making, Words and Wine, Vincent Gray Sculptures, Vincent Gray Studios, The Courtyard, Crows Hall Farm, Chilgrove Road, Lavant, Chichester, PO18 9HP. Spoken Word & Art & Craft

11am-5pm. Jury Lane Open Studios 2016, The Art Workhouse, Sidlesham Studios, Jury Lane, Chichester, PO20 7PX.

12pm-4pm. Kitty Pigfish, The Award-Winning Cartoonist, Live Cartooning Fun, The Royal Oak, Hooksway, Chichester, PO18 9JZ.

1pm. Brahms at Lunchtime, The Hanover Band Chamber Ensemble, St John’s Chapel, Chichester, PO19 IUU.

2pm. Chichester City Walks, Chichester City Tours, Meet outside the Library, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QJ.

3pm. Secrets of The South Downs, The Chichester Society, Stoughton Village Green, PO19 9JQ.

3pm-4.15pm. The Storyteller, Len Gould, Upstairs at St Martin’s Tea Rooms, 3 St Martin’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1NP.

7.30pm. A Night at The Oscars, Chichester City Band, St Paul’s Church, Churchside, Chichester, PO19 6FT.

7.30pm. Mark Harrison – Original and Unique Folk/Blues Songs and Stories, The Chichester Inn, 38 West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RP.

7pm. A Summer Romance, Ensemble Reza, St John’s Church, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR.

9.30am-5pm; Sunday, June 26, 11am-3pm; Monday, June 27-Saturday July 2, 9.30am-5pm every day. Catherine Barnes Paintings, Festival Artists, Art for All, Church Square, Eastgate, Chichester, PO19 7LJ.

Sunday, June 26 Jun25

11.30am. City Highlights – Walking Tour, Chichester Tour Guides, Cathedral Bell Tower, West Street, PO19 1RP.

11am-5pm. Jury Lane Open Studios 2016, The Art Workhouse, Sidlesham Studios, Jury Lane, Chichester, PO20 7PX.

2.30pm. A Walk Around Georgian Chichester, Alan Green, Meet outside Edes House, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RQ.

7.30pm. MacByrd, The Rude Mechanical Theatre, Garden of Halnaker Park Cottage, Park Lane, Halnaker, PO18 0QH.

See www. festivalofchichester.co.uk

The festival committee is: Phil Hewitt, Barry Smith, Anne Scicluna, Helen Watt, Anthony Cane, Jill Cook, Felicity Masters & Rebecca Robertson.

Tickets

Online: www.chichestertickets.co.uk

Box office: 01243 813595

In person: Cloisters Shop, Cathedral Cloisters, Chichester, PO19 1PX.

(Open Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm)

The Festival of Chichester runs from June 18-July 17. Full details on www.festivalofchichester.co.uk.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage

2) Like our Facebook page

3) Follow us on Twitter

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

Always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.