Imagineer's giant Godiva will make its debut at Coventry's Godiva Festival later this month, welcoming visitors to a weekend of live music at the city's War Memorial Park (30 June - 2 July). 

The line-up for 2023 includes The Enemy, Rudimental and Melanie C, as well as the very best of the Coventry music scene.

Created to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the 6 metre giant Godiva is created through combining mechanical puppetry and modern animation techniques and is a symbol of the ingenuity and industry of the West Midlands.

Imagineer and Media Mania will together present the Powerhouse Youth Zone for the Coventry City Council run festival hosting The Resonate Stage. There will be live music and creative workshops supporting creative young people and emerging artists of Coventry with things to see, live music to hear and creative activities throughout the whole Festival weekend.

The Powerhouse Youth Zone opens on Friday eve with an Urban Vibe, spoken word artists, singer song writers, rappers and vocalists including featured artists Samo Songs and Duke Keats.

On Saturday and Sunday the whole Zone is in action with full music stage line-up including headliners Hazz, Fyah Kamp and Friends, and Teedemba, large scale visual art structures from Transformations (an Imagineer and Media Mania Programme for young people 16yrs - 29yrs not in employment, education or training), based on the concept of Future Fantasy Cities.

The structures include a Lenticular, The DJ Shed, Island in the Sky, The Wonder Room and an exhibition of models. Youth focused services from cross the city will be hosting activities and information including Grapevine Sensory Space, NHS Integrated sexual health services, Creative Optimistic Visions, Positive Youth Foundation, Coventry Boys and Girls Club, Highlife Centre, Stoke Heath Community Centre Youth Group and Rising Stars Youth Group.

On the ground and in the air expect High Wire Walkers and Aerial Performance from Circolombia performers and Rebel Manifesto Aerial, Dance from Elite and GAPA, performance from Open Theatre and the DJ Shed. For those wanting to get hands on there will be free activities so festival goers can imagine and make their own fantasy city, making their own city or collaborating with others, bringing it to life through model making.

There will also be the opportunity to try circus skills including wire walking, acrobatics and aerial hoop, interactive sound creation and puppeteering, with an opportunity to have a go at puppeteering Godiva herself.

During the weekend Media Mania and the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit will launch ‘Coventry x Detroit’ An album of work created by 5 young musicians from Detroit and 5 from Coventry as part of the Youthful Cities Project.

The Powerhouse Youth Zone is funded by The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The European Social Fund, Youth Music, The Higgs Charity, Coventry City Council, Arts Council England, Coventry Building Society and Imagineer.

Transformations is supported by Your Vision Your Future. Your Vision Your Future is part funded by the European Social Fund and supported under the Youth Employment Initiative.

Godiva Festival takes place at Coventry's War Memorial Park on Friday 30 June and Sunday 2 July. For further information, and to book tickets, visit: godivafestival.com

For further information on Imagineers, visit: imagineer-productions.co.uk