No Lindfield Arts Festival in 2020

Following the very successful tenth anniversary of Lindfield Arts Festival last year and in light of the present uncertainty regarding the global coronavirus pandemic, the trustees of Lindfield Arts Festival have taken the difficult decision that they will not be holding a festival in September.

Instead, the plan is to return in September 2021 with a bigger and better festival than ever. Chair of Trustees Geoff Heath said: “We are a small charity with limited funds and so have decided it would be better to not commit the required upfront costs in such an uncertain period but instead use the money more productively for next year’s festival.

“However, if the Coronavirus situation develops positively over the coming months, we may hold some smaller pop-up events in September 2020, so watch this space!”

In the meantime, the LAF organising team are taking the opportunity to refresh and regroup the volunteer management team to develop new ideas and welcome new volunteers. If you would like to be part of Lindfield Arts Festival in 2021 please feel free to contact them at: enquiries@lindfieldartsfestival.com.

Countdown for Lindfield Arts Festival 2019

By Ayesha Gilani

Happy New Year from Team #LAF 2019. The countdown continues as we work towards the tenth anniversary of Lindfield Arts Festival. This September we are devoting a whole week to creative festivities.

From Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd September 2019 we hope to sizzle your senses with some of the best talent our village has to offer in the name of art and performance. To help make our tenth birthday the best it can be we are inviting local artists, musicians, writers, performers and workshop leaders to register and join in the festival fun. Applications for the festival and LAF Bursary will be open, via our website www.2019.lindfieldartsfestival.com, on 1st January 2019.

“Monday 16th - Sunday 22nd September 2019”

In the meantime, you can help keep our festival vibe alive whilst doing your weekly shop. Lindfield Arts Festival has been chosen as one of the Co-op’s local community charities for 2019. Every time you bag yourself some of the Co-op’s selected own brand goodies LAF (a registered charity) will reap the rewards. Make sure you take your Co-op Membership Card with you.

Lindfield Arts Festival bursary fund open for applications

This year’s Lindfied Arts Festival will see a new and exciting bursary to be granted to a local resident who can demonstrate their passion and desire to start or continue an arts discipline. A panel of four local celebrity judges will determine who will receive the £1,000 grant towards the applicant’s chosen area of expertise. The bursary is open to anyone aged 7-100 who lives locally. If you are a dancer, painter, baker or artisan maker of any kind, the Festival would like to hear from you. No matter your age, occupation or previous experience, if you have a desire to start or continue your arts education you can apply for the bursary via the charity’s website.

Lynn Tulip, Festival organiser, said: “This is such an exciting initiative. The Festival is all about local arts, and this bursary is an opportunity for it to put something back into the community by supporting a resident’s artistic endeavours and development.”

In other news, the Festival programme is currently being formulated with a number of other innovative ideas added to the line-up. For the first time, there will be a food festival with artisan makers and street food sellers; the length of the High Street will be filled with a covered eating area and there will be a stage, which will play host to a wide range of performances.

Another major initiative will be a film project that captures the heart and culture of the village through the voices of its residents – all of this and more will be announced fully over the coming months. 

Dates for this year’s Festival are: 21st-23rd September. If you would like more information, would like to apply for the bursary, or would like to get involved visit www.lindfieldartsfestival.com or email enquiries@lindfieldartsfestival.com