Don’t miss: The Vale’s jam-packed launch weekend kicks off the centre’s drive to become a hub for fostering creative and carnival talent

The reopening of The Vale this weekend (September 10-12) following its major refurbishment kicks off the centre’s drive to become a hub for fostering the next great carnival and creative talent in the region.

Based in scenic Mossley, in the foothills of the Peak District, The Vale is both home to the Northern Carnival Centre for Excellence and a place for audiences to discover new sounds, performers, artists and the creative pioneers of the future. Its programme of international music and performance celebrates the global passion for carnival music and dance, and aims to bring artists to the region that audiences are unlikely to catch elsewhere.

The centre’s current music calendar is already shaping up to be the perfect mix of sounds from near and far. Gambian virtuoso Sefo Kanuteh, Cuban music giants Mojito Salsa, and the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band (Bollywood, Bhangra and qawwali like you’ve never heard it before) are among the first international names on the bill, while Manchester is well represented by the likes of Baked A La Ska, Caoilfhionn Rose and the Kyla Brox Band.

Stay tuned for a soon to be announced cinema and film workshops programme, as well as a whole load of all-ages community and volunteer projects in which people can try their hand at an array of Carnival arts skills and techniques, including puppet and lantern making and batik.

One critical purpose of The Vale is to find both the new artists and the new patrons of the future – and so it’s launching three initiatives to make that happen. The first is Future Leaders aimed at fostering youth talent in the Carnival arts, the second is the 100 Friends Of The Vale campaign which is looking for individuals and businesses to provide financial and expert support for the centre, and the final Friendly Volunteers scheme is seeking a team of keen people to help with the daily running of The Vale.

All listings and campaign information can be found at the-vale.co.uk.