Kendal's Mintfest festival aims to be best in Europe (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Kendal's Mintfest festival aims to be best in Europe

12:20pm Wednesday 16th December 2009 in

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ORGANISERS of one of South Lakeland’s most colourful festivals are hoping to make it the ‘biggest and best in Europe’ by 2013.

Mintfest International Street Art Festival celebrated its third successful year in August when more than 200 performers from across the world took to the stages, streets and parks of Kendal.

“It has been quite a phenomenom and there has been an incredible growth,” said Julie Tait, managing director of Kendal Arts International, which organises the festival.

Mintfest is the flagship event of the Lakes Alive season, which has funding until 2012 as one of three annual legacy programmes commissioned by the Legacy Trust UK for WE PLAY, the Northwest cultural legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Ms Tait said the event is now recognised as one of the top eight street art festivals in the UK and one of the top three for its size, adding: “By 2013 we want to be the biggest and best in Europe. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

She said a key focus will be private sector involvement: “We want to encourage local businesses and people to get involved with the festival.”

Ms Tait revealed that next year the festival will be extended by a day, meaning it will launch on the Thursday night with the culminating performances on the Sunday.

More locations are in the pipeline as well as an international summer school, which will see performing students work with professionals in the build up to the festival, where they will showcase what they have learnt.

The event also hopes to attract more festival organisers from across Europe.

Kendal town councillor Jonathan Brook said Mintfest was a ‘vibrant festival’, while coun Clare Feeney-Johnson said it was something the organisers should be proud of.

“It’s very exciting,” said Ms Tait. “As long as we can keep the momentum of support going I’m confident we can achieve our ambition.”