Haywards Heath Arts Festival

After much thought, the Haywards Heath Arts Festival committee has taken the decision to pause the festival for this year.

Since its inception, the festival has proudly brought creativity into the heart of our town in ways that felt fresh, ambitious and sometimes a little unexpected. From performances in restaurants and exhibitions in estate agents - even a funeral directors - to events in the Town Hall and other unconventional spaces, we have been driven by a belief that art should be accessible, visible and woven into everyday life.

We have taken risks -many of which have paid off - helping to spark new ideas and opportunities for local businesses and venues. It has been particularly rewarding to see several of our partners continue hosting events and building on concepts that first began as part of the festival.

Alongside this, we are incredibly proud to have raised over £8,000 for charity during our time running the festival, supporting important causes within our community.

However, this has also been a challenging period. We are saddened by the recent council decision not to accept the Haywards Heath Community CIC’s bid for Clair Hall. In a town that is already short on dedicated cultural venues, this represented a significant opportunity to establish a more permanent hub for arts activity and to support the long-term growth of creative provision in our community.

While we take this time to reflect, we remain incredibly proud of what has been achieved and grateful to everyone - artists, audiences, volunteers, sponsors and local businesses -who have supported the festival along the way.

This is not a goodbye, but rather a moment to pause, reassess, and consider what the future might hold.

Thank you for being part of our journey.

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