Welcome to the fifth Steyning Festival. We have a wonderful variety of events lined up for you and there is something for all the family – young children, teenagers and adults.
Full details of all events are contained on this website and in the programme. Some events sell out very quickly so book your tickets early. We will have regular updates on this site and you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you are a visitor here, we offer a warm welcome and hope that you enjoy getting to know our lovely town with its fascinating old buildings and friendly people. If you are a resident, we look forward to seeing you with all your neighbours and friends to enjoy what the festival has to offer and to celebrate this great place that we are all so privileged to live in. Together, let’s make it another festival to remember.
Christine Aubrey, Chairperson
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Neil Mullarkey – “Don’t Be Needy, Be Succeedy” – Saturday 26th May
Enjoy a fantastic evening with one of the original Comedy Store Players who plays a tongue-in- cheek tribute to self-help gurus and lifestyle coaches. The show won the Fringe Report Award for Best Satire at the Edinburgh Festival. Neil Mullarkey’s credits include Have I Got News for You, Whose Line Is It Anyway and the Austin Powers movies, Goldmember and International Man of Mystery.
‘Zelda’ – Sunday 27th May
Springwells Hotel hosts this wonderful piece of theatre where Zelda Sayre, the belle of Alabama, captures the heart of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. Zelda’s marriage begins to crack up when she decides to take up writing herself.
The Trees of Wiston House Gardens – Monday 28th May
Organised by the Steyning Downland Scheme, this beautiful walk will take you around the Wiston House Gardens and Park to see the many different trees that have been collected from several countries over the years.
Escape into the Past? – Monday 28th May
Join us for one of the Festival’s most popular literature events and hear a panel of best selling authors discuss their craft with Chris Taylor of New Writing South. This year we are looking at the historical novel genre with novelists Jane Harris, The Observations, Andrew Martin, The Baghdad Railway Club, and Jane Borodale, The Knot.
The Music Room at Jarvis
The Music Room at Jarvis returns to the Festival with its popular FREE short music concerts and talks. Come and enjoy an hour or so in this beautiful house and soak up the warm atmosphere whilst listening to a range of artists to include talented local musicians, folk and classical music, an acoustic folk band and a dramatic reading, The Odyssey, read by Chris Amery. For further details, look under the Music and Literature & Talks pages.
A Night at the Opera – Sunday 3rd June
This popular Festival event presented by Music Theatre 2000, returns with Director/Musical Director, Simon Gray and MC Viv Aylward. Highly acclaimed singers adorn the Steyning Centre stage, to include Hyacinth Nicholls who has sung with the Royal Opera and Barry Clark who sang with the original cast of the Phantom of the Opera.
Steyning Sports Day – Monday 4th June
Steyning gets into the spirit of the 2012 Olympics! Join us for a family day out on the Memorial Playing Field and try out the many different sports that go on in our community. There are lots of prizes to be won in the Mini Olympics and why not take part in the return of the famous Cuthman Wheelbarrow Race?
Fun and Games with Nick Sharratt – Friday 8th June
Come and join the colourful world of stripy sharks and woolly crocs. Watch this brilliant illustrator draw live, join in with songs and games and save the world from an attack by planet pea!
Steyning Arts
Steyning Arts is co-ordinating the Art Trail for the Festival this year, with venues throughout Steyning, Bramber and Upper Beeding. Exhibitions will be supported by more than fifty events including demonstrations. Works include paintings, ceramics, jewellery, sculpture and textiles.
Festival Box Office: The Steyning Bookshop • 106 High Street • 01903 812062
