Thousands of families descend on New Brighton for epic arts festival

The New Brighton Arts Festival recently returned to the seaside town for a jam-packed week of activities and events championing creativity, collaboration, and community spirit.

The festival, spearheaded by Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust’s ‘C Change’ initiative, one of eight Creativity Collaboratives, proved to be a massive success with over 3,750 attendees across the week.

The festival showcased the artistic talents of 370 choir singers, 110 primary-aged theatre performers, 16 poets, 11 comedians, and 25 music acts.

The week-long arts festival kicked off on Monday, 8 July, with Sing Wirral taking over the Floral Pavilion for a night of musical magic. Daily events took place across New Brighton, including a comedy night with Hot Water Comedy Club comedic resident Phil Chapman, hosting the evening’s festivities.

The festival welcomed accomplished writer and performer Ashleigh Nugent, for a spoken word evening at the Oakland Gallery, with local young people showcasing their writing skills alongside Ashleigh.

The penultimate event saw the return of the hugely popular Friday Night Live, which invited students from across the trust’s secondary schools, St John Plessington Catholic College and St Mary’s Catholic College, and other local Wirral secondary schools, to deliver what was an unforgettable night of live music.

The festivities culminated in the One Community Street Party, hosted on Saturday, 13 July. From 11am to 9pm, thousands of families from across the borough gathered for a fun-filled family day.

The free event featured two live music stages, with legendary Liverpool rock band Space taking the headline spot and performing their chart hits, ‘Female of the Species’ and ‘The Ballad of Tom Jones’.

The kids and creative zone offered a range of free activities for children, and performances from the renowned Samba Livre Liverpool Brazilian Dancers, the Katumba Drummers, and Movema Dance, delivered dance workshops.

CEO of Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust, Andy Moor, said: “We are incredibly proud of the success of the New Brighton Arts Festival.

“The event was an opportunity for local artists, performers and musicians to showcase their incredible talents in the spirit of creativity, collaboration and community. The festival’s emphasis on community revitalisation through cultural initiatives was palpable, with young performers collaborating with local organisations and signed and emerging bands.

Andy added: “The One Community Street Party was the perfect way to end the festival and further demonstrated the impact of cultural initiatives on the regeneration of New Brighton.

“A massive thank you to all the young people, businesses, and performers who made this a truly unforgettable event.”