Sathnam Sanghera, Adrian Goldberg, Parv Kaur and more: 100 Masters festival celebrates Black Country talent

The Festival of Masters - taking place at Starwork’s Warehouse on November 25 - will offer visitors an opportunity to see the Black Country’s 100 Masters at work.

For one day the free Festival of Masters will bring together one hundred individual experts under one roof with the public getting the chance to get up close to some of the Masters who will be appearing at the festival.

The list of Masters range from award-winning authors, sought-after designers, green-fingered gardeners, globe-trotting art directors, engineers, athletes, crafts people, entrepreneurs, brewers, dancers, artists, poets and community ambassadors, with plenty in-between, all representing extraordinary present-day talent from the Black Country.

Visitors will get to enjoy culinary delights when Wolverhampton’s foodie entrepreneur James Swinburne brings his Digbeth Dining Club and some of his favourite street food vendors to the Warehouse, while craft beer enthusiasts can hang out with head brewer of Blackheath’s Fixed Wheel, Scott Povey who will keep visitors fuelled with a selection of his award-winning ales.

Desi pub landlord Jeet and friends pop up to entertain with a bhangra party as they launch a limited edition version of the desi pub book about the Black Country’s unique curry pub revolution.

See Masters at work through a camera lens as photographer Laura Dicken documents workspaces of the Black Country’s master makers.

Juneau Projects have produced a specially created Masters Village exhibiting artwork, craft and products including Turner Prize winning artists and the world’s greatest ever microsculptor.

Virtual reality, 3D scanning, interactive projection mapping and soundscaping fun will be on hand to try with digital mavericks Urban Hax. Flatpack Cinema will screen a day of special films and documentaries inspired by the 100 Masters.

Alongside Rangoli and Christmas gift wrapping workshops, festive carols and special performances there will be appearances from the UK’s most knowledgeable pub enthusiast, Peter Hill, who will be in conversation and putting on a pub quiz with the BBC’s Adrian Goldberg.

Wolverhampton author Sathnam Sanghera will be in conversation about the BBC adaptation of his book The Boy with the Top Knot and growing up in the city.

Music will come courtesy of Conrad Gail’s choir with, a selection of festive carols, and BBC WM DJ Jenny Wilkes will play her favourite Motown hits after a live performance from one of the few UK female dohl drummers, Parv Kaur.

Creative Black Country Creative Director Parminder Dosanjh says: “This really is a unique opportunity to see 100 Masters represented under one roof.

“The project has been a huge undertaking and the response to our Masters has been wonderful.

"We’d love the whole of the Black Country to join us in celebrating their achievements and hope to inspire a thousand more Masters in the future”.

100 Masters is a campaign, produced by Creative Black Country, that aims to highlight local people’s skills, expertise and extraordinary achievements selected by public nomination.

During the summer the public nominated people they know who are brilliant at what they do. Hundreds of nominations from across the region were submitted and now the 100 Masters list has been compiled. The shortlisted Masters were chosen via a panel selection process and come from a dazzling breadth of backgrounds, ages and areas of the region.

Entry to the Festival is free. Workshops are on a first come, first served basis.