The council wants a new World Festival to draw on the success of the likes of Preston Mela

A new summer festival is set to be one of the legacies left by Preston Guild 2012.

The city council’s cabinet met on Thursday to agree the city needs more events to keep the Guild feeling going.

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Now councillors want to see a weekend long multi cultural World Festival starting from summer 2014.

A report to the council said: “A multi cultural ‘World Festival’ – weekend is proposed as a new event during the summer of 2014 to celebrate the diverse communities of the city and build on the community spirit experienced during the Guild celebrations.

“This event would encompass the best parts of Mela and Carnival and widen the demographic of communities involved in the event programme. The event will have the potential to become regionally significant as it develops.”

The colour and sounds of Preston’s Carnival are important for the city according to the council report

Creative producers Walk the Plank, who have put on shows at the Commonwealth Games, Liverpool’s Capital of Culture and Manchester International Arts Festival amongst others have been contracted to work on planning the event.

The report goes on to state: “There is a need to maintain momentum following the Guild and work to position Preston at the heart of Lancashire.

“Events should be used as a catalyst for the regeneration of the city centre by creating a vibrant place to live, work and visit. Rejecting this opportunity would be likely to damage Preston’s reputation locally and within the region.”

View the full report by the council here about events in the city.

What do you think should be involved in the new festival? What events would you like to see happen in the city? Let us know in the comments below

Image credits to CottonGilly and Paul Melling