VILLAGE Beach, the family arts festival and Thurrock’s very own celebration of local talent, presented by Metal, returns to Grays Beach Riverside Park on Saturday 16 July from 11am – 7pm. A whole host of arts activity from musical theatre, literature, visual art, music and crafts will be on offer for the whole family to enjoy and get involved with across the day. Village Beach festival is once again made possible through generous funding and partnership support from Thurrock Council and Arts Council England.
In 2015, the festival’s first year, more than 6000 visitors, from babies to teens to senior citizens, attended Village Beach to enjoy a free, outdoor arts festival on the shores of the River Thames. This year, Metal aims to build on the festival’s success and develop the event with more local arts groups and some of the most creative and original arts organisations from around the region. In a packed programme, five different stages will showcase the best local bands and performers; Village Beach Main Stage, Thames Delta Stage, Perform Stage, Global Stage and Busking Beach Hut. The Park’s green spaces, ‘the beach’, the riverside pathway and the marketplace will all host an eclectic mix of arts led activities.
Thurrock’s creative community will be out in force at Village Beach. From Horndon-on-the-Hill, street theatre company These 3 Guys and the Wrinkly will be appearing, Thurrock Art Collective and Thames Delta Music will be hosting stages and providing platforms for up and coming Thurrock bands and musicians. Thurrock libraries and community hubs will show what’s on offer across the borough and Thurrock Court Players and Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus demonstrate how much talent there is in Thurrock. The Thurrock 100 walkers will also be visiting the festival.
Other highlights will be Pluto jugglers, Olmo Lazarus spoken word poetry workshops, Lily Riddle costume workshops and Goya Arts, who will be telling stories bursting with magic, violence, disgusting characters and beautiful creatures. Jacqson Diego Story Emporium also invite children and families to explore stories in many different forms and be inspired to create their own. The beach huts are back too. A feature of last year’s festival was the brightly coloured, individually designed beach huts which housed a variety of activities and art.
Sean McLoughlin, Metal’s event director for Village Beach said ‘We are delighted to be invited back to Thurrock to stage Village Beach again. The strength of the festival is the fantastic local community involvement, from school children to WI members. We have loved working with Thurrock’s diverse and creative communities and can’t wait to see what talents we can discover this year.’
Mayor of Thurrock, Cllr Cathy Kent is thrilled Village Beach is back for a second year. She said: "Thurrock has a thriving arts community and it is only right to celebrate our diversity, culture and creativity in an annual festival right in the heart of Grays. There is something for all ages to experience and enjoy. I’ll be there on the day – please come and say hello if you see me!"
Entry to Village Beach is FREE with a programme of activities that will appeal to everyone. More acts and artists will be confirmed over the next weeks so go to the website www.villagebeachfestival.com for up to date news or follow Village Beach on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ENDS
