Three roaming bands will give free pop-up performances on Cheltenham’s High Street, Promenade and Imperial Gardens to celebrate the opening weekend of Cheltenham Music Festival on 9 and 10 July. The bands are presented in partnership with Cheltenham BID. 

BLOCO B will get the party started on Saturday morning from 11am to 1pm with some Rio de Janeiro Carnival style samba tunes, blending percussion & drumming with singers, cavaquinho players and dancers. 

Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4pm sees the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band perform vibrant music and colourful dancing in a fusion of Indian roots sounds from North Indian classical melodies to popular Bollywood songs and Bhangra beats.  

And on Sunday morning from 11am to 1pm, Unswung Heroes take to the streets with danceband and New Orleans jazz as well as pop, soul and funk covers in a vintage swing style. 

Cheltenham Music Festival brings nine days of performances and events by leading international artists, new talent and innovators from 8 to 16 July. 

Performers include London Mozart Players, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Anoushka Shankar with the Britten Sinfonia, Brodsky Quartet, Ingrid Fliter, Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason and Samuele Telari. Two new commissions by Laura Bowler and Conor Mitchell examine the nature of relationships and the BBC New Generation Artists give four lunchtime broadcasts. There’s dance from New English Ballet Theatre, talks, walks and mindfulness sessions, ending with a performance of Mahler’s 8th Symphony in Gloucester Cathedral.