On your bike with Elgar

In a festival first, organisers of the annual Elgar Festival are calling on young residents and visitors to get on their bikes and join them in the great outdoors.

Budding BMX-ers, steady cyclists as well as scooter and skateboard enthusiasts, are being invited to come along to Rushwick Pump Track on Wednesday 28 May between 10.00am and 12midday for a free event that will honour Elgar’s love of cycling.

Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director of the Elgar Festival said: “We are delighted to offer this free event to young cyclists.  In the middle of half term, it will appeal to both young people and their parents too! Riding a pump track is not only incredibly fun but also a great way to improve control, stability and comfort on two wheels; the event is suitable for all skill levels, including complete beginners and seasoned pros!  Elgar would have loved it!”

There’ll be music plus colleagues from Spike Bikes will be on hand to fix any repairs or maintenance issues for free and the Really Awesome Coffee company will be providing refreshments.

The event is supported by NT The Firs – the birthplace of Elgar – as well as Croome Court, Malvern Hills District Council, Rushwick Parish Council and the local police.

The location is Upper Wick Lane, Worcester WR2 5SU.

The 2025 Elgar Festival event takes place between Saturday 24 May until Sunday 1 June.

The festival – which was launched in 2018 – was established by decree of Worcester City Council and is traditionally held on the weekend closest to Elgar’s birthday, 2 June 1857.

Themed ‘Celebrate with Elgar’, this year’s Festival will bring together world-class professional musicians and artists alongside local choirs and ensembles placing the music of Worcester’s most famous son alongside that of his contemporaries and some of today’s leading composers and arrangers.

Set in the composer’s hometown and surrounding areas, the festival is an annual celebration of Elgar’s music spanning symphonic and string orchestra concerts.

Other highlights this year include performances by Chamber Orchestras, recitals by world renowned performers Raphael Wallfisch, David Briggs and April Fredrick, several participatory events including ‘Come and Play Elgar 1’ and a Young Singers Masterclass.

There are several free events, relaxed concerts, an exhibition, choral events, a film screening, Q and As, a guided walk and a new performance partnership with students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Since it began – lauded as ‘Critic’s Pick’ in both The Guardian and The Times – the festival has doubled in size and scale and championed Sir Edward to as wide an audience as possible. It continues to grow annually through an innovative development programme of appealing and accessible events, working with hundreds of both internationally renowned professional artists and amateur musicians and performers of all ages to ensure Elgar really is for everyone.

For a full list of events, costs and booking information, please visit www.elgarfestival.org.