This year’s Hailsham Festival of Arts & Culture has been well received by the public and hailed a success by the town councillors as hundreds of people turned out to a wide variety of events and exhibitions held throughout September.
The festival 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 Art Trail and their various competitions.
The wide range of performance events included a new staging of Orwell’s 1984 which took place at Hailsham Pavilion (following sell-out shows in Eastbourne and Hastings), an appearance at the Pavilion by the world-famous recorder player, Piers Adams (formerly of Red Priest) who presented Baroque Alchemy with keyboardist Lyndy Mayle, and actor Jeffrey Holland (Hi de Hi) who visited the Pavilion to perform his one-man show ‘…and this is my friend, Mr Laurel’.
Other entertainment included an evening of Burlesque at B12 Wine Bar & Kitchen and a singalong screening of Frozen.
Other highlights included live rock ‘n roll and folk music, morris dancers, children’s lego-building, a murder mystery event, writing competition, a Greek mythology presentation and the ever-popular Nostalgia Fair which took place on 23rd September.
“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 Deputy Town Mayor and Vice-Chair of the Communities Committee, Cllr Anne Marie Ricketts, who along with other town councillors praised the diversity and community-based aspects of the festival. “There was a positive atmosphere over the month 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.”
“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 look forward to seeing you all again next year.”
Terry Hall, Communications Officer
Hailsham Town Council, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AE
Telephone: 01323 841702 | Email: terry.hall@hailsham-tc.gov.uk