Musselburgh, East Lothian hosts the flagship event for Scotland as part of Bandstand Marathon – a nationwide celebration on the final day of the London 2012 Games.

Lewisvale Park is set to host the flagship event in Scotland of the nationwide Bandstand Marathon on Sunday 9 September, the final day of the Paralympic Games. The official closing event of the London 2012 Festival, Bandstand Marathon will see hundreds of outdoor community concerts take place throughout the UK in a national musical celebration of the London 2012 Games and a fantastic summer of sport and culture. There are 8 events taking place in Scotland.

From 1–5pm, Lewisvale Park will be alive with music, presenting a diverse line-up of Scottish talent including: Censor Thoughts, a pop/punk band from Edinburgh; grunge rockers Art of Privilege, new Indie band on the circuit The Kiks; UK-touring local band Altered Sky; and entrancing solo performer Luke Hunter.

A highlight of the afternoon will be when the Preston Lodge High School Pipe Band join in a collective moment across Bandstand Marathon events nationwide whereby musicians at each location will perform their own unique rendition of Coldplay’s anthemic hit Viva La Vida. This will take place simultaneously at 2pm in bandstands across the UK, including the Bandstand on the Olympic Park, ahead of Coldplay’s headline performance at the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony later that evening.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin said: “It’s a great honour for us to be part of the celebrations for the Paralympic Games and it should be a great moment when the bandstands of Great Britain strike up in unison.”

Councillor Tim Day, Cabinet Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing, said: “East Lothian’s event, taking place in the leafy surroundings of Lewisvale Park, Musselburgh, will showcase a broad range of youth music from across the county. London 2012 and the Olympic Games have given our communities the opportunity to come together in celebration, firstly with the Summer of Song – choirs of school children supporting the Olympic Torch Relay, then in support of our fantastic Olympians and now for this grand finale - Bandstand Marathon.”

LISTINGS INFORMATION
Location: Lewisvale Park
Address: Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 7AR
Times: 1pm – 5pm

Other Bandstand Marathon events taking place in Scotland are at:

• Ayr (St Germain-en-Laye Gardens, near Wellington Square)
• Bathgate (Kirkton Park)
• Cupar (Haugh Park)
• Grangemouth (Grangemouth Bandstand)
• Inverness (Bellfield Park)
• Kilsyth (Burngreen Park)
• Kirriemuir (Kirriemuir Camera Obscura)

From Inverness in the Scottish Highlands to Penzance on the tip of Cornwall, and from the historic town of Armagh, Northern Ireland to Llandudno on the Welsh coast, Bandstand Marathon will present a unique portrait of the UK’s diverse musical tastes and styles in 2012.

For more details about Bandstand Marathon 2012, including the full list of participating locations, visit www.bandstandmarathon.org.uk

For more information on the London 2012 Festival, and to find out what’s going on near you, visit www.london2012.com/festival

Ruth Mackenzie, Director, London 2012 Festival said: “The Bandstand Marathon is encouraging local music groups to showcase their talents and be part of the London 2012 Festival. We hope everyone will join in to end the London 2012 Festival and Games with a UK-wide celebration of musical and sporting talent.”

Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles said: “The spectacular summer has shown off the strengths of our country in style and it hasn’t ended yet. It continues with the Bandstand Marathon and everyone should come out to enjoy the musical events at their local bandstand.”

He continued: “2012 has been the year for all our communities to come together, from the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympic Torch Relay and of course the Games themselves, reinforcing our shared identity and celebrating our great country. We have seen how these big national events can have a positive impact on local communities, bringing people out into our parks and onto the streets in their thousands, bringing a sense of joy and championing all those things we share together rather than keep us apart.”

Katharine Lane, Associate Director, Superact said: “London 2012 has been an incredible success and the UK public has played a huge part in this, embracing the Games and taking part in the wealth of fantastic events across the country in the run up to and throughout the Games. We’re delighted to present Bandstand Marathon, the official finale event to the London 2012 Festival – bringing families, friends and communities together in a nationwide musical celebration of what has been an unforgettable summer.”

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland: “Bandstand Marathon is part of Scotland’s London 2012 Cultural Programme and we are delighted that bandstands across the country will be filled with local musicians, young and old, to celebrate the closing of the London 2012 Festival.”

Bandstand Marathon is produced by not-for-profit arts organisation Superact and Making Music, the UK’s number one organisation for voluntary music. Support from The Department for Communities and Local Government is enabling Bandstand Marathon to expand and enhance its existing annual programme, doubling the length of the local events to four hours this year, and providing opportunities for training, community networking and audience participation, and linking musicians together across the country.