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Take a look on the Festival’s Facebook page for the full gallery of photos.

The festival fun continues in the next two weeks, with loads more to experience right throughout the Gorge (from the Festival Hub in Dale End Park to the far ends of Jackfield and Coalbrookdale), here’s just a few to mention: 

• Over 80 Miles of Guided Walks - from Ironbridge Walking Group, Severn Gorge Country Side Trust;
• 4 Films as part of Telford Film;
• 18 venues and open studies all across the Gorge, where you can watch artists at work and purchase a range of art at affordable prices;
• 30 bookable artists’ workshops on how to make charcoal, experience iron smelting, lino printing and many more.
• Bar at the Event Hub at Dale End Park, open daily for all visitors looking for refreshments.

For the full programme, take a look on www.ironbridgefestival.co.uk

The festival is organised by Telford & Wrekin Council, with funding from Arts Council England’s Cultural Destinations Tourism Fund and huge support from partners throughout the Gorge.

This week there’ll be a mix of events on offer such as charcoal making experience workshop (19 September), the Trail of Thomas Love (musical and visual journey on 20 September) and many more – take a look here to find out what’s on each day.

The second weekend of the Festival marks the Ironbridge Open Day - on Saturday, 21 September, the best and brightest of Ironbridge Gorge retailers, tradesfolk, businesses, organisations and clubs are breaking out on to the Wharfage and into the Square when they take over the road.

The event is free to attend and will include, for starters, brewing, busking, puppetry, Paella, Supercars, hand-rolled sausage rolls, competitions and street entertaining.

You will also be able to experience a wide range of crafts from the Ironbridge area, by joining Hanny Newton and the Heritage Crafts Association for an embroidery workshop using gold threads.

Expert crafts from Coalport China Museum will also be at the Festival Hub Yurt (at Dale End Park) to demonstrate bone china flower making and you can have a go at making your own flower from air drying clay.
Jackfield Brass Band and Broseley Beats Samba Band will be performing and entertaining the crowds down in the festival hub in the afternoon.

The festival bar will be open between 12pm and 10pm. 

Sunday, 22 September will again make a great day out for families, with art workshops for children (including ‘Drawing cartoon animals & monsters with just a circle’ from Secret Severn Trail), a drumming workshop and performance by Eternal Taal all female Dhol drumming group (a group from the West Midlands, who have performed at Glastonbury and on Britain's Got Talent),  moving poetry and stories from Punjabi Women’s Writing Group, the renown “Mary Poppins Returns” film (that includes a kite making workshop) and many more.

To plan your visit to the festival - why not use the Ironbridge Park and Ride, a fast convenient service which is free to park and £1 per adult to ride.

Find out more on https://ironbridgefestival.co.uk/plan-your-visit/

Councillor Carolyn Healy, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for visitor economy & the World Heritage Site said: “This has been a great start of our festival celebrating the Ironbrige Gorge World Heritage Site, with a fully-packed programme.

“A big thank you to all our community and partner organisations throughout the Gorge, for joining us to create what will be a fantastic programme of events over the next ten days!

“We want to encourage everyone to come to the Ironbridge Gorge, there’s loads more to enjoy from film, poetry and exhibitions, to walks exploring the Gorge, comedy and music nights, art workshops and many more.

“Just go on www.ironbridgefestival.co.uk to see what’s on each day and how you can take part.”