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Funding hopes for Portsmouth's festivities
The 'stunning' climax to Portsmouth's 10-day Tudor festivities is set to become an annual spectacular, the event's organiser said today.
James Priory is confident that the popularity of all the festival's events, and especially the finale on Southsea seafront, would attract more cash from the Arts Council.
This year's festivities won a 70,000 grant from the arts funding body and Mr Priory is convinced the overall success of the festival will attract even more in future years.
Mr Priory, the chairman of Portsmouth Festivities, said: 'I don't believe the Arts Council funding was a one-off.
'We have been given the strong impression that it was very impressed with our festival and believes that arts in the city have been under-funded in the past.
'We shall certainly be going back to them and they keep telling us that Portsmouth is firmly on their map and that they are keen to support us again.'
Mr Priory, who is also the headmaster of Portsmouth Grammar School, said he was still on cloud nine after the success of the finale, which attracted 7,000 people to Castle Field for an extravaganza of dance, fireworks and a bonfire marking the end of the city's Henry 500 celebrations.
He added: 'I think it was the best festivities ever. Stunning. And I can't stop smiling about it. Now we have the nice problem of working out how we follow that. We'll need a lot of creative thinking.
'The next big landmark year is 2012, which is not only Olympic year but also is the bicentenary of Charles Dickens's birth.
'But next year is the 150th anniversary of HMS Warrior, and in 2011 we're thinking of doing something with a theme of Portsmouth and the Future.'
He said: 'There is so much goodwill and creativity for the arts in Portsmouth and the way people came together throughout the whole festivities and particularly the finale, shows exactly what a good spectacle we can put on.'
TRIO OF TUDOR LANDMARKS
This year's Portsmouth Festivities celebrated three 500th anniversaries:
The accession of Henry VIII to the throne on June 26, 1509;
The new king's 18th birthday on June 28, 1509; and
The commissioning of the Mary Rose in the same year.
The finale at Southsea brought young people together to dance, rap and act around a model of the Mary Rose before the ship burst into flames, sending fireworks into the night sky.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Sunday 12 February 2012
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Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
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