Welcome!

Hailsham Festival of Arts and Culture 2023 is now over. We would like to offer a a huge thank you to all performers, artists, makers, audiences, organisers, actors, dancers, singers, instrumentalists, presenters, sponsors and venues for making it such a resounding success!

Please do visit the Artists’ Bridge where nearly 80 pieces of art created by members of the local community are now permanently displayed. You can find more information here: The Artists’ Bridge

If you would like to see what happened during the festival, please click on the Festival At a Glance menu above. For continuing events, such as art galleries, our annual Anthology and literature competition prize-winners, please click on What’s On to find links to the relevant pages.

The festival is held annually in September and is now entering its seventeenth successful year. The festival represents a celebration of both professional and amateur  talent, creativity and imagination centred in the market town of Hailsham and its surrounding area with events including art, music, dance, drama, creative writing, poetry and film.

The festival began in 2007 with a highly regarded Art Trail which has grown in strength and diversity ever since and is a rich showcase for local artistic talent and skill. Working in partnership with Hailsham Artists’ Network, it regularly includes over 100 artists in 18 venues across the area.

Performances and exhibitions are held in venues across the town including the iconic Hailsham Pavilion, Summerheath Hall, B12 Bar & Kitchen, the King’s Head, Cacklebury, Hailsham Parish Church and Hailsham Civic Comunity Hall among many others. In recent years the Mayor’s opening concert in the Parish Church has featured performances by Hailsham Choral Society and Hailsham Voices.

The arts represent a vital component of our culture, enriching our community and creating a vibrant landscape from which we all benefit. Thank you for all your support over the years. Please watch this space or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for details.

Tony Biggin

Chair, Hailsham Festival