This year’s Hailsham Festival has been well received by the public and hailed a success by the Town Mayor, as hundreds of people turned out to a wide variety of events and exhibitions held throughout September.
The festival, which ran from Saturday 4th to Saturday 25th September, saw a steady stream of visitors to the town and had a varied programme of events to capture the attention of the public.
Visitors got the chance to attend a rich mix of art exhibitions, live music performances, theatrical events, children’s workshops and historical art talks, spread throughout Hailsham and surrounding areas.
Once again, the Hailsham Festival Committee invited members of the community to share and showcase their creative achievements in various galleries and publications, and people were able to see the results in their Virtual Art Trail and their Poetry & Short Story Anthology, which is available to buy as an e-book and in print.
Fesitival organisers also organised a Children’s Lockdown Art Gallery, which featured images they created during the pandemic lockdowns and is an ongoing project.
The acclaimed poet and broadcaster Roger McGough presented a Showcase Concert of the festival’s community musical, String! on 18th September at the Hailsham Pavilion – possibly the most ambitious project organisers have ever commissioned and which was well-received by festival-goers.
The Festival also featured a Hailsham Nostalgia Fair at the Cattle Market site on 18th September, introducing the ‘String Town’ rope of memories, fairground rides, circus acts Morris dancers, live entertainment, children’s arts and craft, antique evaluations, food and drink and much more.
“This year’s festival has been nothing short of amazing with some truly great artists, writers, photographers, poets and music performers showcasing their talent across the Hailsham area,” said Town Mayor Councillor Paul Holbrook, who praised the diversity and community-based aspects of the festival. “There was a positive atmosphere over the 22 days of events and I’m very grateful to everyone for turning up and supporting the town’s festival so well.”
“We are very proud of organisers for running so many high-quality events during the festival period, all of which were thoroughly enjoyed by all the participants and attendees, whether virtually or face-to-face.”
“Thank you to funders, supporters, venue managers and promoters, artists and, of course, the local volunteers of Hailsham for all their hard work and time dedicated to the festival. We hope to see you all again next year.”
Dr Tony Biggin, chairman of Hailsham Festival commented: “The pandemic meant that this was always going to be a tricky festival to organise – we weren’t at all sure what mixture of virtual and live event would be appropriate. In the end we were able to successfully produce nearly 30 live presentations and we are thrilled that the people of Hailsham supported the festival with such enthusiasm in these challenging times.”
Terry Hall, Communications Officer
Hailsham Town Council, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AE
Telephone: 01323 841702 | Email: terry.hall@hailsham-tc.gov.uk