The first weekend of Barton Arts Festival 2016 gets underway on Saturday June 25 with Open Gardens and Open Air Theatre to look forward to.

Raising money for Lindsey Lodge Hospice, a total of 21 gardens will be open during the weekend from formal gardens, town gardens, walled gardens and compact gardens to the town’s allotments on Dam Road.  A total of 11 gardens are new to the event this year.  Some are open on both days and some on either Saturday or Sunday.

Now a firm fixture in the Festival calendar, entry (to include a map of the gardens) is £4 per person that can be paid at either Wilderspin School on Queen Street or The Ropewalk on Maltkiln Road.  On both days the gardens will be open from 12 noon until 5pm.

On both evenings of the weekend the gardens of Bardney Hall are hosting open air theatre.  On Saturday North Country Theatre, celebrating 20 years of rural touring, is performing Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night featuring many of the actors that have performed in shows over the last two decades.

The following evening Pantaloons Theatre step back even further in time to perform Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales bring to live in just under two hours everyone of the timeless tales.  If the weather is wet the Canterbury Tales will be performed in the Joseph Wright Hall on Queen Street.

Tickets to see either show cost £12 in advance or £14 on the door and if you wish to see both shows tickets cost just £20 per person.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.bartonarts.co.uk in person at The Ropewalk or by calling 01652 660380.