Two weeks jam-packed with vibrant performances are set to begin this weekend as the highly anticipated Southend Arts Festival starts with a variety of fantastic events across the Borough.
The Southend Arts Festival, which has been partly funded by the Government’s Welcome Back Fund and is in partnership with the Southend Tourism Partnership, is set to take place between Friday 3 September and Sunday 19 September 2021, is a fantastic celebration of the vibrant performance and cultural scene in the Borough.
The Festival will showcase and celebrate the immense cultural and artistic talent that we have in the Borough, through a variety of fun and immersive activities and shows, and on Friday 3 September, the first set of events will take place, including a pop up art gallery in the Royals shopping centre, showcasing local artists’ work, the Garden Gatherings in Leigh Library Gardens, providing side-splitting comedy from a host of award-winning comedians in an intimate setting, as well as various busking performances from local musicians under the railway bridge in Southend High Street.
Other events across the two weeks include comedy, art, street performance – sponsored by Southend BID, music, theatre, literature, spoken word and much more. The festival also incorporates the hugely popular Southend Film Festival.
There are also many famous faces involved in the event, including comedian Russell Kane, who will be the festival’s patron, and Dan Kitchener, a world-renowned street artist.
Most of the events will be hosted by private hospitality venues in Southend. As such, they will manage their own COVID compliant risk assessments and ensure accessibility for our residents and visitors, including some online events.
To view the events calendar please visit www.southendartsfestival.co.uk