Dancers, musicians, and artists will be taking to the streets of Stafford for the town’s 5^th ‘Arts Festival’.

The Festival is the brainchild of Stafford’s Town Centre Partnership along with the Borough Council with the ‘Arts Fest’ to go ahead in September.

As well as dancers and musicians providing a carnival atmosphere for the day, the event will include a range of art workshops including the “painting party” and balloon modelling.

Performers in the town’s Market Square,  will include professional Brazilian  drummers and dancers ‘Art Brasil’ and the Stafford  Morris Men, The local dance partnership and delightful children’s group Dappa Dance will also be entertaining members of the public.

Talented street theatre favourite the “Bubbleologist” will delight the crowds with his amazing bubble tricks - from giant bubbles to very tiny bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles and lots more.

Residents and visitors will also get the chance to enjoy activities at various venues around the town centre including, exhibitions at the

Join in the fun with the Easter Bunny Hunt between 18th and 31st March 2013. All you have to do is find the 8 hidden bunnies located in the windows of 8 different shops. To help you, we will tell you that there are 3 bunnies in the Guildhall Shopping Centre, and one in stores in Market Square, Greengate Street, Salter Street, Crabbery Street and Princes Street. Pick up an entry form in any of the participating stores and return it to the post-box by the Lottery Kiosk in the Guildhall Shopping Centre. Alternatively you can email your answers to us at [email protected]. Our 3 winners will be notified by 5th April and will win some great chocolatey Easter prizes.

Terms & Conditions

1. One entry per household
2. Management decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Move over Gok Wan, the Guildhall Shopping Centre's style experts will be offering free fashion tips and advice at the exclusive "Style & Shop" event on Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June.

Meet our style guru, colour technician, make-up and hair stylists and get inspirational advice on colour and style that will be tailor-made for each customer. If you feel indecisive, nervous or reluctant to shop and unsure as to what style and colours suit you, then this opportunity to speak to experts is just what you need.

Each consultation will leave the shopper with a personalised plan of their colour or style palette and there will be the opportunity to have a free mini make-up makeover to demonstrate how important it can be to choose colours and styles that suit an individual's skin tone and body shape.

Working with the major stores in the Guildhall including TopShop, River Island, Wallis, Roman, Store Twenty One and Evans, our experts will give presentations to explain how to select outfits that flatter and how to accessorize a look to take it from daywear to glitzy nightwear, as well as incorporating style and comfort.

Signal 107 will be supporting us on both days with live radio roadshows. Come down and meet the presenters and be in with a chance of winning spot-prizes in our fun competitions. There will be music and free giveaways throughout the event including over £900 worth of vouchers for Go Ape – the amazing adventure days out at Cannock Chase which has something for the whole family with amazing views, lush forest, tree-top high wires, crossings and wind-in-your-face zip wires. They also offer the chance to get off the beaten track and enjoy the latest forest adventure with the Go Ape Forest Segway – an epic new experience with a down to earth twist. There’s plenty for the whole family to enjoy, including mountain biking and a large children’s play area. If you would like to try your hand on a Segway, you can do so for free by coming along to the Guildhall Shopping Centre.

Our sponsor for the event is the Big Local App Stafford, the new community mobile app that provides a one-stop shop for all your needs in and around Stafford. Free to download from the iPhone store and Google Play, the app essentially brings together local news, information and businesses, accessed whilst on the move. Information from local BBC news, Council information, Tourist attractions, Sport and Leisure, Education information, Cinema and Arts as well as a business directory can all be found on the app, making it a must have app for the community.

It’s a great way for local businesses to promote themselves by owning a “mini” app within the Big Local App and keep information fresh and up-to-date on a regular basis. Guildhall, Couture, Tenpin, Stafford Lancers and Mela Lounge are featured on the app, where you will find some amazing promotions.

Make sure you come to the Guildhall and meet up with our friendly BLA mascot – he is looking forward to meeting you.

GUILDHALL SEEKS MODELS FOR ITS FASHION SHOWCASE

The Guildhall Shopping Centre has announced a new and exciting event coming to its malls in September. Working in collaboration with Stafford College and Town Centre businesses, the Fashion and Business Showcase will take place on Saturday 28th September.

Fashion shows will take place each hour from 11am to 3pm and will showcase the latest Autumn/Winter collections from Guildhall fashion retailers, such as Wallis, River Island, Roman, Evans and Store Twenty One, as well as town centre stores such as Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Saffron Lingerie as well as the Tu range from Sainsburys. Stafford College's Foundation Degree Fashion students and the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma students are working with the Guildhall to put together the choreography and styling and students on the dance course are working on some dance routines for between the shows. Stafford's own radio station Stafford FM will be hosting the event providing music, chat and plenty of competitions and give-aways during the day.

The Guildhall are currently seeking models to take part in the catwalk shows and Marketing Manager, Anne Graham said "We have the basis of a fantastic event but we are now seeking male and female models to take part in our fashion shows. We are running a competition to find members of the public who would like to be a model for the day and anyone chosen to take part will receive £50 of shopping vouchers to put towards the outfit of their choice. Applicants do not need to have any modelling experience but they must be prepared to work hard and take part in our catwalk shows. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age and must be available to attend for a rehearsal during week commencing 23rd September. Entry forms are available on the malls of the Guildhall or can be downloaded from our website and must be submitted with a photograph by 31st August 2013".

In addition to the fashion shows, businesses belonging to the Stafford Town Centre Partnership have been invited to have pop-up stands in the Guildhall for the day. A wide variety of businesses including restaurants, solicitors, music, food and fashion will be exhibiting their products and services and offering the opportunity for customers to meet them in a convenient town centre location.

Richard Ralph, Associate Director at DTZ who manage the shopping centre said "This is a new event for the Guildhall and one that shows us fully engaging with the rest of the Town Centre. The tough economic times mean that it is vital that businesses work together to promote the town centre and the Stafford Town Centre Partnership has held many successful events to ensure Stafford remains a vibrant town that customers enjoy. We hope that, if successful, the Fashion and Business Showcase will be a permanent feature in Stafford's calendar of events".

Download an entry form here

Stafford Christmas Lights Switch-on - Saturday 23rd November

Probably the most spectacular Christmas Light Switch-on Event in Staffordshire with a full day of entertainment and fun for all the family. The day starts at 11.00am with the popular Father Christmas Parade when Santa arrives in town with his real live reindeer and a carnival procession with marching bands, dressed floats, costume characters and much, much more.

Following the parade the activities focus on Market Square where a 40ft stage and big screen are erected. Singing, dancing, competitions and demonstrations take place between 12.30pm and 4.30pm when the excitement starts to build for the big switch-on.

At 5.00pm the Christmas Lights are turned on and this is followed by a spectacular firework display launched from the roof of the Guildhall Shopping Centre. As this is a totally free event, it is extremely popular, so visitors are advised to arrive early (and please leave pushchairs and buggies at home!!)

Featuring in this year’s Father Christmas Parade are:

Apus’ Birds

These fantastical giant birds with their stunning fanned tails entertain and inspire audiences. Accompanied by Major Apus, the jungle explorer, they are a real treat for children and families. Since his honourable discharge from the army Major Apus has been exploring deepest darkest Africa, he specialises in large unusual creatures, showing off his latest find, two giant albino peacocks.

He is quite a big softy and rather than kill and stuff his prizes he shows them off and encourages conservation. He traded his blunder bus for a giant net, he says, "It creates a lot less mess, don't you know, what!". Although he is a seasoned explorer, he did get lost once in Kew Gardens!

The Birds are animated by sound effects reminiscent of a rare species from the tropical rain forest. From a distance, the Birds are impressive and magnificent, and close up, their detail is dazzling.