A FRIENDSHIP festival to celebrate Coventry’s twinning links with Dresden will take place from Saturday until November 27.

The event, part of the UK City of Culture programme, will take place at several venues in the next three weeks.

Dresden became Coventry’s first twin town in 1959 and since then there has been a thriving exchange between the city councils, the cathedral, other churches, the art sector and voluntary groups and individuals.

The first event will be a reading of ‘Phoenix’ by Anthony Owen between 2pm and 3pm in Coventry Cathedral.

Then from 7.15pm to 9.15pm at St Christopher’s Church Hall, Allesley Park, a reading from The Triumph of Love will be given by Andy March.

The festival will start at the Dresden Mural / Coventry Market at 11am and then 11.30am next Friday, November 12, before the official opening at midday at the Litten Tree Building (LTB).

The Small Works Coventry-Dresden arts exchange exhibition will be available to view between 12.30pm and 3.30pm next Saturday and then everyday from 12.30pm and 4pm until December 4.

Coventry-Dresden Modernism in Postcards by Ben Kaden and David Fry will take place at the LTB from 4pm to 6pm next Saturday.

After that, there will be almost 20 more events at different venues before the closure of the festival.

The rest of the festival

November 14

12pm to 2pm – Meet the Artists from ‘Small Works’ – Litten Tree Building

3pm to 4.30pm – ‘Oh! What a lovely Brexit!’: Video Screening of play performed by Eclectic Theatre, Dresden – Litten Tree Building

November 15

2pm to 4pm – Female Artists in Dresden Exhibition Presentations – Litten Tree Building

7pm to 9pm – Film: The 1965 Rebuild in Dresden – Holy Trinity Centre, 5a Priory Row

November 16 

6pm to 7.30pm – ‘Oh! What a lovely Brexit!’: Video Screening of play performed by Eclectic Theatre, Dresden – Litten Tree Building

November 17

2pm to 3pm – “Unravelling”: A poetic musical journey through war, memory and loss with talk on Post-Colonialism by Nirmal Puwar of Goldsmiths University – Litten Tree Building

5pm to 6.30pm – Colloquium: Twinning and International Friendship – Litten Tree Building

7pm to 9pm – Music Evening: Videos/ Livestreams of Dresden Bands – Litten Tree Building

November 18

 11am to 4.30pm – ‘Refuge & Recovery’: Talk, Discussion, Presentation and Film – Litten Tree Building

November 19

11am to 12.30pm – Talk: ‘Dresden – Birthplace of Expressionism’ – Litten Tree Building

5pm to 8.30pm – Film: ‘Never Look Away’ – Litten Tree Building

November 20

2pm to 4.30pm – Film: ‘The New Babylon’ (Silent Film with performed soundtrack) – Litten Tree Building

5pm to 7.30pm – ‘World Falling Down’: Music Project from Satsangi and Søjus1 – Litten Tree Building

7pm to 9pm – Festival ‘Week’ Closing – Litten Tree Building

Visit coventrydresdenfriendshipfestival.co.uk/home for more information.