‘Mayhem’ festival hits Oldham streets

Arts bosses in riot-hit Oldham were today gearing up for the second day of a street performance festival called Mayhem.

The festival, a joint venture between Oldham Council, Education and Leisure and the town centre partnership, aims to attract Bank Holiday shoppers to the high street by offering a combination of free music, theatre and comedy.

Asked whether he thought the name Mayhem was unfortunate, Oldham Council Art Development Officer John Clifford replied: ‘‘It is a street theatre festival held in May. We had the name months ago.

‘‘The festival began yesterday and there was not even a hint of trouble. The only real problem today is the rain, but we are coping with that.

‘‘I don’t really want to talk about the trouble, but I will say that this is an extremely positive and multi-cultural event for everyone to enjoy.’’