The new Big Bandstand will offer bonanza of free live music shows in Cassiobury Park, as part of Watford Borough Council’s Big Events programme

It kicked off on Sunday (May 28) with Music in the Park – a fundraiser for Peace Hospice Care and the Renal Unit at Watford General Hospital. On Sunday, June 4, Christians Across Watford will perform at the bandstand from 2pm to 4pm.

The Voyageurs Ambassadors of Music USA are sending a group all the way from Oklahoma to perform on Friday June, 9 from 2pm to 4pm, and on Sunday, June 11, Watford Brass Band will perform from 2pm to 4pm, followed by Voyageurs from Nebraska from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

Watford’s bandstand – shortlisted for the 2017 Horticulture Week Custodian Awards’ Best Parks Restoration/Development Project – will host a different band between 2pm and 4pm every Sunday until late September.

There’ll be a variety of weekday performances too. If you want to soak up the music and the sunshine during your lunch break then visit watfordbigevents.co.uk/bigbandstand

Bands from 15 different American states will perform, courtesy of The Voyageurs Ambassadors of Music USA, and the summer solstice will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 21 from 6pm to 8pm, with Make Music Day UK, where Ska and mod covers band The Iconics will play.

The Big Jive Swing Festival will return to the bandstand between 1pm and 6pm on Sunday, July 30, for a music and dance extravaganza.

Music in the Park – the first Big Bandstand event of the summer – drew in the crowds with a Michael Jackson tribute act and swinging 60s band, After Midnite Duo.

Councillor Peter Taylor, portfolio holder for client services at Watford Borough Council, who attended the event with his family, said: “It was great to see so many people at our Big Bandstand for this fantastic fundraising event. And with lots of great performances to follow, this is going to be a wonderful summer for Cassiobury Park.”