The Igniting Ambition Festival 2010 kicks off in April and runs all the way through to November 2010. The Festival invests in and celebrates a broad range of festival activity across the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, and their three cities.

The Festival has been developed and led by a partnership of six local authorities, building on existing regional capacity by investing in a range of projects that develop innovative, high quality work, providing new opportunities for local people to engage in and enjoy events that celebrate their region and its relationship with the rest of the world. Highlights include:

•    Night of Festivals: a brand new addition to the East Midlands festival landscape, Night of Festivals will showcase exciting, interactive art installations, digital art projections, live music and carnival and street arts from many different Latin American countries and cultures

•    Sowing Seeds: International Artists in Residence: Contemporary artists from China, India, Finland and Singapore will make links with artists and audiences at some of the region’s major visual arts institutions

•    International Youth Theatre Festival:  Young people’s theatre groups from all over the world will perform in Leicester during this 5-day festival in June

•    UK Young Artists: the first ever UK Young Artists event will take place in Derby as a cross-artform event for young artists aged 18-30, showcasing and bringing together exceptional young talent from around the UK. Artforms will include dance, performance, visual arts and moving image 

Looking forward to 2011, the Igniting Ambition Festival will focus on the counties of Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland. The team are currently seeking proposals for cultural projects that celebrate the three counties’ rich cultural heritage, outstanding natural environment, local traditions and hidden gems. Further information can be requested by contacting info@ignitingambition.com.

Breath of Fresh Air, the region’s unique natural environment partnership supported by Legacy Trust UK as a unique contribution to the UK Cultural Olympiad, has recently enjoyed success with both their Inspire Mark application and with their application to Arts Council England for a major grant to support artist involvement in events and festivals across the region in the run up to 2012. The funding will help bring new audiences to the region's green spaces and inspire new ways of interacting with the outdoors. For further information and to download the 2010 programme, please click here.