A creative industry company headed up by Reading’s Caribbean community is excited to announce its first major event after succeeding in getting permission to hold events.
At the start of the year, the people behind CultureMix Arts applied to hold music and performance events at their centre in Queens Walk, Broad Street Mall.
Their application to hold the events has been successful, which means the company can go ahead with an exciting programme of events.
Celebrating the news, Mary Genis, the founder and artistic director of CultureMix said: “We are delighted to have a premises licence because it enables us to showcase the work we do and showcase Caribbean music and culture at our centre in Queens Walk.
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“Our first event is taking place this Friday. We’ll be hosting our first open mic night as part of Reggae Fridays.
“We’re gradually building up a programme of cultural activities which are going to be different from others in town.”
The doors and bar will open at 7pm, with the show starting at 8pm.
Ms Genis continued: “All instruments will be provided, but the open mic is not just for musicians, we’re welcoming singers, rappers, spoken word artists and poets to showcase their talents at the centre.
“The first show will be hosted by reggae singer songwriter Jnr Watson, who’s will be appearing at Readipop and Summer Love festivals this year.
“He’ll be showcasing his songs and encouraging people to come and sing, play and part of the evening.”
Reggae Fridays are run every Friday from 7pm onwards.
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All the events held at CultureMix are posted on Eventbrite and the company’s website, and promoted via its social media channels.
Videos of performances and more can be found on its YouTube channel.
The premises licence CultureMix won permission for allows them to hold live music indoors from 5pm to 10pm from Monday to Wednesday, play recorded music from 6pm to 11pm on Thursday, and sell alcohol from 5pm to 1am Friday to Saturday, and 12pm to 10pm on a Sunday.
As well as music events, CultureMix also runs talks and seminars, provides education in the creative industries and holds workshops for children and families.
The people behind the company are members of Reading Reggae Collective and Reading All Steel Percussion Orchestra (RASPO), which practises at the centre in Queens Walk.
For events and any other enquiries, the public can head to the CultureMix website and also call the centre on 0118 958 7351.
The licensing application was granted on Friday, February 18.
The Summer Love festival which Jnr Watson is set to perform at will take place on Saturday, July 23 at Prospect Park, provided the festival organisers are granted a licence for the event.
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