CHESTER’S historic Rows were turned into a giant stage last weekend for an exciting festival of music, performance, dance and art.

Roam the Rows was organised by Chester Performs and included freerunning, story telling, installation art, walkabout street performance, mischievous guided tours, dance and puppetry.

The event was designed to celebrate the city’s own artists and culture.

Amber Knipe, Chester Performs’ project co-ordinator, said: “We were delighted by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by our city. The participants and retailers alike combined to produce a really welcoming event that showed the best of Chester’s street life and cultural vibrancy.”

Almost 300 artists took part in the event and the public were invited to take part in a mass freeze.

“I think people were surprised by the scale of the event,” said Amber. “Chester’s Rows are quite extensive and this allowed us to create a journey which shoppers and visitors could join at any point and decide their own route to travel.”

Groups taking part included Dee-Sign, a Chester Community Deaf Choir, InterAct and Mold Drama Works, Chester Musical Society and APiiS.

Cheshire’s Poet Laureate, W Terry Fox, created a series of poems on posters with accompaniment on guitar and there was art from Gregory MacMillan, Hayley Wood and Jayne Carle.