The Minehead Bay Festival brings international art and culture to the town and community of Minehead, while celebrating our talented local artists, musicians and young people and giving them a platform to showcase their work!
Contents
Introduction
Minehead Bay Festival 2022
Minehead Bay Festival 2023
Aspirations and Objectives
Impacts and Outcomes
Minehead Bay Festival 2022
Minehead Bay Festival 2023
Aspirations and Objectives
Impacts and Outcomes
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Introduction
The Minehead Bay Festival was launched in 2022 as a partnership project between the Minehead and Coast Development Trust, Minehead EYE, and Kite Project. The aim of the pilot project was to improve community spirit and cohesion, increase access to art and culture in West Somerset, promote our incredible local artists and provide social and economic opportunities for people to gain experience and employment in the arts.
The Minehead Bay Festival is now into it's second year with the second successful event delivered on Saturday 2nd September 2023. We hope to continue this event for the community of Minehead for years to come and are working hard to make this a reality.
The Minehead Bay Festival is now into it's second year with the second successful event delivered on Saturday 2nd September 2023. We hope to continue this event for the community of Minehead for years to come and are working hard to make this a reality.
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Minehead Bay Festival 2022
In 2022, the community enjoyed live music from local bands and musicians, such as Hijacked and Wob Williams, as well as acclaimed bands from further afield, such as Rwkus, a nu-jazz quintet from Bristol, and Bob Gallie, a singer songwriter from Wales. The communtiy also enjoyed a performance from local sea shanty group, The Stoggymen, from the nearby village of Stogumber.
Minehead EYE hosted a skate area with their portable skate ramp and professional street artists painted live on the day while onlookers watched.
The fantastic Higher Beings Circus company offered two live shows featuring daring stunts, while festivalgoers looking for a more relaxing experience could spend time in the wellness tent, enjoying gong baths and yoga sessions from local wellness practitioners, Sound-Well and SASP.
Nearby Watchet-based gallery, East Quay, and forest school, Wild Wellies, provided free arts and crafts workshops throughout the day for families, and a 9-piece brass band roved around the festival site performing catchy numbers!
Minehead EYE hosted a skate area with their portable skate ramp and professional street artists painted live on the day while onlookers watched.
The fantastic Higher Beings Circus company offered two live shows featuring daring stunts, while festivalgoers looking for a more relaxing experience could spend time in the wellness tent, enjoying gong baths and yoga sessions from local wellness practitioners, Sound-Well and SASP.
Nearby Watchet-based gallery, East Quay, and forest school, Wild Wellies, provided free arts and crafts workshops throughout the day for families, and a 9-piece brass band roved around the festival site performing catchy numbers!
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Minehead Bay Festival 2023
In 2023, the second year of the festival, we saw record numbers of over 3000 people enjoying the entertainment and art on offer.
Skintight Samba opened the festival with an electric performance, and also delivered a free samba workshop for all who wanted to have a go! Meanwhile, on the beach World Champion sand sculptor and CBBC Deadly Art TV presenter, Nicola Wood, crafted a unique sand sculpture for Minehead while her team delivered free sand sculpting workshops for families to make their very own sculpture.
Skintight Samba opened the festival with an electric performance, and also delivered a free samba workshop for all who wanted to have a go! Meanwhile, on the beach World Champion sand sculptor and CBBC Deadly Art TV presenter, Nicola Wood, crafted a unique sand sculpture for Minehead while her team delivered free sand sculpting workshops for families to make their very own sculpture.
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Higher Beings Circus company were back with two live shows throughout the day featuring heart-stopping stunts and performances from acrobats and aerialists. Meanwhile, in the wellness tent, Alex Simpson from Sound-Well relaxed festivalgoers with soothing gong baths, before local yoga practitioner, Terry Bruce, delivered family yoga sessions to delighted crowds.
The live music stage saw eclectic performances from well-known bands 3 Daft Monkeys and Trevor Babajack Steger, while local musicians The Understairs, The Rogues, Wob Williams, and Alex Cook also took to the stage throughout the afternoon.
The live music stage saw eclectic performances from well-known bands 3 Daft Monkeys and Trevor Babajack Steger, while local musicians The Understairs, The Rogues, Wob Williams, and Alex Cook also took to the stage throughout the afternoon.
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Festival goers enjoyed live art from professional acclaimed local artists Patrick Bremer, Zoe Snape and Charlie Mcfarley, and South West Skate Ramps hosted a portable skate ramp, while the Minehead EYE's Skate School provided skate jams, shows and competitions throughout the day.
Other available activities on the day included free arts and crafts workshops from Watchet-based East Quay gallery in the 'Arts Tent', and Ema Rowe from Wild Wellies Forest School delivered free arts and crafts on the beach to delighted families.
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Aspirations and Objectives
The Minehead Bay Festival acts as a vehicle to regenerate Minehead and improve social and economic opportunities for a rurally-isolated community. We will use the festival to offer employment and volunteering opportunities, improving community wellbeing and cohesion, as well as providing academic and educational opportunities in the community. For example, in 2023, we worked with Somerset Film to provide a vidoegraphy workshop, and an opportunity for young students to create a short film at the festival, providing them with work experience and an opportunity to add to their portfolio.
Video created by work experience students Ruby Downing-Martin and Morgan Willey.
By bringing international art and culture into our town, we will connect the community with global ideas. We will use local artists and musicians wherever possible, while balancing this with the need to bring in critically-acclaimed international artists and musicians that the community might struggle to access elsewhere, due to Minehead's isolated location, improving accessibility and diversity in the community.
It is our aim to continue to grow this event to be bigger and better each year and we hope that this annual event will evolve to become a community-wde initiative, bringing in ideas from the people, organisations and businesses that make Minehead what it is. We want this event to be something the community can be proud of.
We are extremely grateful to the local community groups and organisations that are already involved in our event. In particular, we'd like to thank the Rotary Club and Homestart for their help in marshalling this event.
It is our aim to continue to grow this event to be bigger and better each year and we hope that this annual event will evolve to become a community-wde initiative, bringing in ideas from the people, organisations and businesses that make Minehead what it is. We want this event to be something the community can be proud of.
We are extremely grateful to the local community groups and organisations that are already involved in our event. In particular, we'd like to thank the Rotary Club and Homestart for their help in marshalling this event.
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Outcomes and Impacts
Some key stats from the last two years:
- Over 4500 attendees
- 92 artists, musicians and performers supported
- 51 businesses supported directly
- 10 charities or CICs supported
- 7 pieces of art produced, including sculptures and paintings both temporary and permanent
- 47 volunteers
Over the past two years, we have had over 4500 people attend the Minehead Bay Festival, approximately 1500 at the first ever event in 2022, and over 3000 at the Minehead Bay Festival in 2023. Following the event in 2023, we obtained feedback via a survey that we posted on social media and that people could access via a QR code at the event itself, to allow people to leave feedback, suggestions and updates for how to improve the event in the future. Over 110 people responded to the survey, with 99% of respondents agreeing that Minehead needs more events like this. Some feedback from the local community included comments such as "Yes I think minehead needs this sort of thing, it brings a lot of the community together", "Yes, it's great for all ages, the whole community coming together and enjoying themselves" and "Absolutely. Very necessary to put Minehead on the creative map".
- Over 4500 attendees
- 92 artists, musicians and performers supported
- 51 businesses supported directly
- 10 charities or CICs supported
- 7 pieces of art produced, including sculptures and paintings both temporary and permanent
- 47 volunteers
Over the past two years, we have had over 4500 people attend the Minehead Bay Festival, approximately 1500 at the first ever event in 2022, and over 3000 at the Minehead Bay Festival in 2023. Following the event in 2023, we obtained feedback via a survey that we posted on social media and that people could access via a QR code at the event itself, to allow people to leave feedback, suggestions and updates for how to improve the event in the future. Over 110 people responded to the survey, with 99% of respondents agreeing that Minehead needs more events like this. Some feedback from the local community included comments such as "Yes I think minehead needs this sort of thing, it brings a lot of the community together", "Yes, it's great for all ages, the whole community coming together and enjoying themselves" and "Absolutely. Very necessary to put Minehead on the creative map".
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When asked that they enjoyed most about the event, some of the comments submitted via the survey from event attendees included feedback such as:
"I enjoyed the variety of stalls, really enjoyed the music, plenty for kids to do. Was so lovely to see Minehead buzzing".
"Circus show was fabulous! All children's entertainment, including craft tents were brilliant. The festival has something to suit all ages and personalities."
"The general atmosphere of the sea front, the circus was great to watch and enjoying the live music on the main stage"
"I enjoyed the variety of stalls, really enjoyed the music, plenty for kids to do. Was so lovely to see Minehead buzzing".
"Circus show was fabulous! All children's entertainment, including craft tents were brilliant. The festival has something to suit all ages and personalities."
"The general atmosphere of the sea front, the circus was great to watch and enjoying the live music on the main stage"
"Loved seeing so many people being positively engaged. All ages having a go at activities and experiencing other people's skills ....circus performance, painting. Particularly enjoyed the boys busking, the circus, sand sculpture, painters. Loved seeing friends there too. Felt that it was an event for us as residents of Minehead. Refreshingly participatory, and non commercial"
"I really enjoyed the variety of the goings on at the festival and how it catered for all ages! I am now personally into gong baths which I wouldn’t have been prior to trying it at the festival!"
"I personally feel quite excluded and alone here in Minehead, it was quite nice to have something fun and different on our doorstep!"
"It was an incredible event, which brought the community together and showcased how wonderful Minehead is."
"I really enjoyed the variety of the goings on at the festival and how it catered for all ages! I am now personally into gong baths which I wouldn’t have been prior to trying it at the festival!"
"I personally feel quite excluded and alone here in Minehead, it was quite nice to have something fun and different on our doorstep!"
"It was an incredible event, which brought the community together and showcased how wonderful Minehead is."
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