W H A T ' S O N @ T H E E X C H A N G E

Swinging At The Cotton Club

SAT 22ND JULY

Featuring The Lindy Hop Dance Company & The Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra Take a step back into 1920s & ’30 - Swinging at The Cotton Club’ is the action-packed show celebrating the music and dance of New York’s most celebrated nightclub of the 1920s and ‘30s. (£21/£22)

History Of Rock

FRI 18TH AUGUST

A celebration of rock music from the seeds of ROCK & ROLL in the 1950s, the birth of ROCK in the 60s, right through to the CLASSIC ROCK of the 70s and 80s (£22)

JAMIE & THE FALCONS

SAT 1ST JULY

SAT 19TH AUGUST

Adult comedy puppet theatre, following a hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe Eurovision as you have never seen it before! 12+ (£11)

Jamie Moses of Los Pacaminos alongside 3 world-class musicians who between them have accompanied some of the greatest names in popular music, playing Pop, Rock, Soul and Classic Hits. The ultimate party band! (£17.50)

Old Time Sailors

FRI 8TH SEPT

Ahoy there! You are invited join the plentiful crew, ‘The Old Time Sailors’, for a night of foottstomping, dancing and singing with eclectic instruments as the band perform centuries old folk and shanty songs (£18)

Shaftesbury Fringe: loved by performers for its friendly crowd and beautiful setting.

Stand-up for Shaftesbury: Britain’s friendliest fringe

The Shaftesbury Fringe Festival, set for 21st to 23rd July, is gearing up for another outstanding event –this year’s festival looks like it wil be the best yet for stand-up comedy. Known by its vibrant rhubarb and custard branding, the festival currently has scheduled 38 comedy performances and 112 performances, spanning a broad range of genres such as spoken word, theatre, dance, cabaret, and diverse music types for the three-day festival. Fringe chairman Rob Neely explains: ‘Our Fringe Festival has been developing something of a reputation on the fringe circuit over the past few years, partly for the beauty of its setting, but mainly for the warmth of its welcome – that’s very attractive to comedians wanting to fine-tune their acts in front of a friendly crowd before they head up to Edinburgh Fringe in August.’

Award-winning comedian Dave Chawner, who will be back at Shaftesbury Fringe for a second this year, agrees: ‘I love Shaftesbury Fringe! It’s a brilliant festival in one of the most beautiful places. It’s so useful for me to trial the show before Edinburgh, to iron out any kinks.’

Other comedians include Barry Ferns, who writes for BBC Radio and Channel 4; Fringe regular Nathan Cassidy, described as a “star in waiting” by The Times and winner of Best Standup at Brighton Fringe 2022; “ukulele-totin’” musical comedy duo Plastic Jeezus, winners of 2022’s South Coast Comedian of the Year; Jijeesh Jaimon, who will be returning this year to perform no fewer than 10 different gigs.

Not just for laughs

If comedy isn’t for you, the festival offers a plethora of performances across 38 venues, from Shaftesbury Arts Centre to the Truckle Truck mobile cheese van. To keep up to date and plan what to see, the best way is via the app (search “Shaftesbury Fringe 2023” on both the Apple App Store and Google Play).

Organisers anticipate that the total performances might surpass 2019’s pre-pandemic record of 179. Registration is still open for those interested in performing, with more information available on the festival’s website.

Dog Show at this year’s Gold Hill Festival!

Shaftesbury Rotary Club’s Gold Hill Festival will be held at Barton Hill on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July. As well as the usual terrific range of stalls, music and fun, this year’s festival will, for the first time, feature a Fun Dog Show, sponsored by Branscombe Kennels and Cattery. The Dog Show will take place on Sunday 2nd July from 11am to 4pm.

Classes will be as follows:

• 11am Best Dressed Dog

• 12 noon Best Dog/Owner Match

• 1pm Cutest Dog

• 2pm Sweetest Eyes

• 3pm Waggiest Tail.

As well as prizes for the category winners – kindly donated by Friars Moor Veterinary Clinic – there will be rosettes for the first to fourth placed dogs in each category. Spot prizes will also be awarded by the judges, and every entrant will also receive a doggie gift! There will be an entry fee of £5.00 –please register your interest by emailing win.harvey1949@outlook.com.