Local stars shine as PrestFest waves city’s flag

Prest Fest is the biggest ever party to mark the fact that this city has secured a prestigious Purple Flag accreditation to proclaim its status as a happening city at night.

Around 50 of the city’s centre’s night time businesses have joined in, with some staging great entertainment and others offering discounts and special deals so that Preston’s party people get the best from their night out this weekend.

Hosted and funded to the tune of £40,000 by the city’s Business Improvement District, better known as Preston BID, the event will see live music, artistic performers, street entertainers, magicians, theatrical spectacles, speciality acts, and celebrity guests performing in venues and even in the streets of the city centre across this Bank Holiday weekend.

They want entertainment venues to work together to show the outside world and our own residents that Preston is a great place for a night out and get more people in through their doors to boost business in the city.

There will be live entertainment, specially created dining deals and treats, discounted hospitality and special events.

Among the shows on offer are Preston soulsters The Templebys, playing in Friargate’s Black Horse and a DJ set and meet and greet with S Club’s Jo O’Meara on Saturday while Comic Smug Roberts tops the bill at the Frog and Bucket comedy club on Friday and Saturday and the Lords Walk club also host a special version of their amateur night, Beat The Frog, on Sunday. And 10 lucky winners will scoop £100 each to spend in the city centre, in a competition which goes ahead when the Prestfest Team and Rock FM visit venues on Saturday.

Our Purple Flag, which we won in 2011, is similar to a Blue Flag for beaches, showing the area’s quality. Chair of BID’s Preston By Night group, Jessica Toomey of the Frog and Bucket, said: “It’s exciting to be working on a project like this. I’m not aware of any other towns or cities that have such a strong partnership between entertainment operators with a willingness to come together to improve trade for us all.”

For details of events and offers, follow @PrestFest on Twitter or see Preston.co.uk