FOLLOWING four very successful busking festivals in Monmouth, organisers and sponsors have decided to revamp the format this year to widen its appeal.

On Saturday 28th July Monmouth Festival Unplugged will take place in Agincourt Square. The Unplugged Stage promises to bring a lively vibe to Agincourt Square and is always popular with the regular market traders.

It will provide an opportunity for the 100s of musicians who missed out on playing the festival to battle it out and win a wildcard slot on the main stage during the Family Fun Day.

Musicians from solo acts to duos and full bands should turn up to Agincourt Square between 9.30am and 10.30am on the day to register for a 20 min ’unplugged’ slot on the live stage. Slots will run from 10.30am through until 5pm. Please arrive early as there will only be 17 performance slots up for grabs on the day.

A panel of festival committee judges will review all performances and then select five or six acts to perform on the Festival Main Stage between 3pm and 6pm on Sunday 29th July.

All stage performances will need to be unplugged – no guitar amps, no full drum kits. This is about the unplugged performance grabbing the judges’ attention. If chosen, performers will be able to play their usual set on the main stage the following day. A full PA will be provided for vocals and direct input of instruments.

Organiser and sponsor Nick Penny said: “We wanted to do something a little different this year. We recognise that, due to the high volume of applicants each year, many talented local performers miss out on the opportunity to play main stage. Winning an Unplugged wildcard ensures a main stage performance during the Festival Fun Day. We anticipate that demand for the 17 slots will be high so advise musicians to turn up early. The odds of winning a stage slot are nearly one in three so it’s worth setting the alarm on that Saturday morning!”

Busking around the town during the day is both welcomed and encouraged but performers should adhere to the guidance contained in the Monmouthshire County Council Busking Code, which is available to view at www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/app/uploads/2018/02/Busking.pdf

Monmouth Festival Unplugged is run in collaboration with Nick Penny Event Services, the event’s sole sponsor. For more information, Nick Penny at [email protected] or on 07801 650977.