If you’ve walked through Worcester recently, you may be forgiven for thinking a crisp sandwich café will soon be opening.

Empty shop fronts around Worcester centre were brought to life on Wednesday July 23 as part of the Arches Festival’s Same but Different.

One performance that grabbed many eyes was Matthew Rawcliffe’s ‘The Crisp Sandwich Café’ which organisers said “blurred the lines between performance and reality”.

Unfortunately for crisp lovers there will not be a new deli opening anytime soon.

Mr Rawcliffe was awarded the shop front graduate commission and was a finalist in the BBC Young Dancer 2019.

He said: “Being awarded the shop front commission for Same But Different has helped me to build relationships and develop networks so that I can base myself in somewhere like Worcester, meaning that people don’t have to travel to bigger cities like London to experience great dance.”

Other shop front spectacles included hula hoop performer Angie Mack, who took over the former site of Gourmet Burger Kitchen on Chapel Walk, while the former Top Shop location was occupied by the 2Faced Dance company who were dressed as an array of wild animals.

Meanwhile Kitsch N Sync Lampshade Ladies and Udderly Jubbly took over the former DW Sports building, giving passers-by quite the surprise.

Festival director, David Edmunds, said: “It was great to animate empty spaces in Worcester, filling them with creativity and wonder.

“Worcester has already seen some lovely artwork vinyls in shop windows and what we wanted to do was bring those shop fronts to life with live performance that is playful and just a little bit surreal.

“We enjoy creating moments for people to happen upon that are unexpected like dancing animals in what was a clothing store!”

Laura Worsfold, CEO of Severn Arts, added: “High Streets around the country were already changing pre-pandemic.

“Same But Different has given us a glimpse of how culture can be used to help transform Worcester's high street and at the same time open it up to wider audiences alongside independent and national retailers, restaurants and coffee shops.”