Popular town festival reins handed to community

An arts and culture festival which has attracted thousands of visitors in the last two years is to be taken over by the community.

Worthing Borough Council, which has organised the West Sussex event since 2023, has now handed over the reins of the popular bash to "local creatives".

One councillor said it had been "a blast" organising it but it was the "right time for it to be owned and developed by the town".

Preparations for the festival's third outing in 2025 are now under way.

More than 14,000 visitors were estimated to have visited Worthing during its inaugural celebration in 2023.

A council spokesperson said the authority had been "overwhelmed" by the support for a second festival from local businesses and the creative community.

The fortnight long event in June 2024 proved to be even bigger than the first, featuring dozens of events covering music, art, heritage, comedy and family entertainment, shining a "light on the wealth of creative talent Worthing has to offer".

The spokesperson said it had always been the intention that the festival would be "owned by the community once it had become well-established".

They said the council would continue to offer support to the new organisers.

Councillor Dom Ford, Worthing's cabinet member for communities, culture and leisure, said: "We've had a blast organising the festival with our talented arts community, but we feel that now is the right time for it to be owned and developed by the town."

Jennifer Left, a member of the now-in-charge Worthing Festival Group, said she was "looking forward to growing a successful, community-led celebration showcasing the very best of our vibrant town".

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