Open the Gate to the Secret Garden

Visitors can enjoy an evening of jazz, cocktails and atmospheric lighting at Blackburn Cathedral as part of a major UK Flower Festival.

Organisers of the Blackburn Cathedral Flower Festival will be hosting a ‘Secret Garden’ event on June 24, which will be headlined by New Orleans style jazz and blues band Tipitina.

Celebrated by The Guardian, Jazz Journal and BBC Radio 2’s Paul Jones, Tipitina will captivate the audience with live sets from 7.30pm.

The ticketed event, which is sponsored by the Blackburn Business Improvement District, provides visitors with the chance to see the spectacular structures and flowers on display at the cathedral throughout the four-day festival.

Debbie Jones-Randall from Tipitina, said:

As soon as we were asked to perform at this unique event, we were excited to be bringing our music to such an iconic building. The Secret Garden event is set to be an incredible evening with the combination of jazz, blues, cocktails, flowers and light. We simply can’t wait!”

Guests will receive a complimentary welcome drink upon arrival and the cocktail bar, which will be serving a variety of refreshments throughout the evening, will be open until 11pm.

Manager of the Blackburn BID, Harriet Roberts, said:

We are proud to be supporting such a prestigious event which allows visitors to see the Flower Festival and town centre in a new light. It is another small step to encourage people to put on events in the evening in Blackburn.”

Blackburn Cathedral Flower Festival, organised by The Friends of Blackburn Cathedral and sponsored by Barton Grange Garden Centre takes place from 23-26 June.

The main event has attracted support from a wide range of businesses and organisations including headline sponsors Barton Grange Garden Centre, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Blackburn Market, BMI Healthcare, John Turner Construction, The Eric Wright Group, High Level Maintenance, Cope Engineering and media partners, BBC Radio Lancashire and Square Cactus.

Tickets for the event cost £12 and are available from www.blackburncathedralflowerfestival.com