THE Harambee Pasadia North-East Afrobeats Music Festival for all ages, will take place for the second year running from Friday, May 23 to Monday, May 26, at The Barn, Easington,.

The County Durham festival has been arranged by award-winning bass trombonist Hannabiell Sanders, and by musician and visual artist Yilis del Carmen Suriel. The event marks the official launch of an exciting new North-East based business, Creative Visions and Rhythms, which aims to bring people of all diversities together through the power of music and art.

The event promises to be a weekend of music, food and fun. Harambee literally means “all pull together” in Swahili and Pasadia means “to spend the whole day”

– but, in this case, it’s more than three days.

Farmland overlooking the coast plays host to the event, with the grounds opening at 5pm, Friday, May 23 and closing at midday on Monday, May 26. Under fives go free.

Round trip transportation will be running all weekend from Bar Loco, Leazes Park Road, Newcastle.

Musicians from all over the UK and the world will be performing including: Nansady Keita, Hannabiell and Midnight Blue, Back Yard Rhythm Orchestra, Drumdin, Ladies of Midnight Blue, Filhos de Bimba, Afsumu Blue, Tenth Avenue Band, Too Spicy, Pikey Beatz, The Larks, Christine Ben-Ameh, Mammoth Step and the Carnival Crows. More acts are likely to be confirmed nearer to the event. Fun taster workshops will run all day Saturday and Sunday including: African drumming, African dance, drum circle, salsa dancing, break dancing, African-American step dancing, and Capoeira.

There will be a licensed bar and food stalls plus skin care, hair braiding and massage sessions, guided forest and beach walks and arts and crafts and games for children.

Since moving to the UK in 2009, Hannabiell and Yilis have collaborated with local and national organisations and international artists to produce a variety of cultural events, concerts, workshops and festivals.

As a bass trombonist, Hannabiell has performed with The Drifters, Kathryn Tickell (for the London 2012 Cultural Olympics), New York City-based Harlem Symphony Orchestra, Nobby Solano’s UK-based salsa band The Geordie Latinos, and US- based salsa band Rumba Con Son.

Hannabiell champions using music as a unifying force among diverse communities and works as a progressive music teacher while studying for a PhD in Music Performance at Newcastle University. Originally from New Jersey, she works across all musical boundaries from classical to hip hop to bring people of every age, culture and background together.

  • Tickets and more information available from hannabiell.com /harambee-pasadia-north-est.html