Features / Arts
There’s more to festivals than just music
When you hear the word ‘festival’, many people’s minds go to muddy fields, smelly toilets and live music going on long into the night. This is no surprise as there have always been a plethora of music festivals, locally, nationally and internationally which focus on a range of genre-specific music in order to cater to all tastes. However, there are so many diverse festivals which cover the whole of the arts sector – not just the music scene.
Although the South West is known for its music festivals, Glastonbury being the most obvious one people think of, it is also well known for its varied selection of events. There are several cities around Bristol which are renowned for their festival of the arts – one of them being Bath. Well-known for being the place Jane Austen called home for several years, it’s no surprise Bath is so well-versed in curating and hosting several iconic festivals. The festivals in Bath cover a range of sectors including comedy, theatre (Bath Fringe Festival), literature (Children’s Literature Festival) and film (Film Bath), all of which offer exceptional events, workshops, screenings and activities.
Similarly to Bath, another local place known for its range of festivals is Cheltenham. Festivals in the town include Cheltenham Poetry Festival and Cheltenham Literature Festival, considered to be the first literature festival in the world as well as the Cheltenham Jazz and Cheltenham Music Festival. For a small town, there is certainly never a dull moment.
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The New English Ballet Theatre are one of the performers at this year’s Cheltenham Music Festival Credit: Cheltenham Festivals
A small city just outside of Bristol and Bath is Wells, where they host their very own comedy festival. With Bristol’s Comedy Garden now permanently closed, we may have to go a little further afield to watch some live comedy but it is most certainly worth it. For a small town, Wells certainly draws some big names with the likes of Rhod Gilbert, Nish Kumar, James Acastor and Sarah Pascoe in attendance in the previous years.
Another small town which features a large festival is Frome. A community arts festival, Frome Festival plays host to a range of events such as literary showcases, exhibitions and an open art trail. Like Bath Festival, this is an all-inclusive events which covers literature and art.
There are more to these towns and cities than meet the eye. Despite their small size, Cheltenham, Bath, Frome and Wells are all home to some of the best regional festival of the arts. For us Bristolians we never have to go far to be able to immerse ourselves in culture and with so many great festivals on our doorstep, this has never been truer.
Main photo: courtesy of Cheltenham Festivals
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