Music, art and robots in Walsall for a day-long festival

A day of music, art and gaming is to be held in Walsall next month.

Walsall MakerFest returns on 13 September, with performances and experiences set up around the town during the day.

There will be a music stage in Gallery Square with Northern Soul and local talent and the BBC’s All Together Now judge Dayton Grey.

Walsall Society of Artists will be in The Crossing at St Paul’s and an eGaming Zone will be based at the Digital Skills Hub on George Street.

Walsall Town Hall will host a takeover by Urban Hax CIC offering the chance to meet Sir Killalot and Matilda from the TV series Robot Wars and a chance to build your own robots, create jewellery and learn about film special effects make-up.

In Gallery Square, singer Sass Brown will be performing as Tina Turner, along with Bhangra Smash Up who will showcase their blend of traditional Indian dhol drumming and Western sounds.

There will also be a Makers’ Market on Park Street with over 50 stalls of artisan goods and street food, a five-hour dance programme outside the Crossing at St Paul’s and a Story Village with poetry workshops and drop-in crafts.

It is the second year the festival has been held in the town.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader at the council, said the event was part of the We Are Walsall 2040 vision, making the town “a place where everyone is proud to live, and where all neighbourhoods share in opportunity and aspiration”.