Community Group Assumes Management of Popular Worthing Festival

An arts and culture festival, which has drawn thousands of attendees over the past two years, will now be managed by the community. Worthing Borough Council, responsible for organizing the West Sussex event since 2023, has transferred control of the well-received celebration to “local creatives”. A councillor commented that while organizing it had been “a blast”, it was the “right time for it to be owned and developed by the town”. Planning for the festival’s third iteration in 2025 is currently in progress. Over 14,000 visitors were estimated to have come to Worthing for its initial celebration in 2023. A council spokesperson stated that the authority was “overwhelmed” by the backing for a second festival from both local businesses and the creative community. The two-week event in June 2024 surpassed the first in scale, presenting numerous activities encompassing music, art, heritage, comedy, and family entertainment, thereby shining a “light on the wealth of creative talent Worthing has to offer”. The spokesperson indicated that the plan had always been for the festival to be “owned by the community once it had become well-established”. They also confirmed that the council intends to keep providing assistance to the new organizers. Councillor Dom Ford, who serves as Worthing’s cabinet member for communities, culture, and leisure, commented: “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 recently appointed Worthing Festival Group, expressed that she was “looking forward to growing a successful, community-led celebration showcasing the very best of our vibrant town”.