Viva Brighton Issue #78 August 2019

ARTS
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Newhaven Festival
Small but aiming high
Now in its second year, Newhaven Festival is
part of a growing movement in coastal towns
to nurture a ‘Creative Cluster’. Supported
by Artwave in 2018, Susie Mullins, Head of
Strategic Development at Newhaven Town
Council started a festival to run alongside the
Open Houses. Newhaven Festival’s Creative
Director, Rhoda Funnell, tells us how the
festival has grown for the 2019 edition.
This year offers a range of free and ticketed
events, inviting locals and visitors to get
together, have fun and explore this unique
industrial town surrounded by the Downs.
A Newhaven map, by local illustrator Olivia
Waller, offers a way to travel through the town,
visiting some unusual venues such as the new
Bandstand, where the Festival launches. Or the
RNLI where you can learn to sing shanties (£5
for 4 hours tuition and optional performance),
or the Hillcrest Centre to see the Thrift
Fashion Show (£3).
Any creative event taking place in Newhaven
during the festival can be included in the
schedule. The aim is gradually to grow the
festival in town, as well as joining forces
with bigger organisations to provide bespoke
opportunities at discounted rates. The
Charleston Farmhouse Secret Downland Walk,
for example, is an all-day walk from Denton
over the Downs, ending with tea, cake and
access to the gardens and galleries at Charleston.
Free transport back included, £20/£10 for
BN9 residents. Glyndebourne, meanwhile, are
presenting a Make Your Own Opera workshop
at Newhaven’s Hillcrest Centre, where 9-19 year
olds can learn about group singing, instrumental
performance, acting and design.
Pictured: Glyndebourne Youth Opera. Photo by Sam Stephenson
Many of the tickets offer 50% discount to
local people and almost all those working
on the festival or running events live and/or
work in Newhaven. Creative businesses such
as Prismaflex, King & McGaw, Vantablack and
Boutique Modern are all based in Newhaven.
Locate East Sussex is showing a documentary
they commissioned about creative Newhaven
along with a networking opportunity, and
Newhaven Enterprise Zone is a part sponsor of
the Open Call taking place at The Ship Hotel.
We want to show a wider audience all that
Newhaven has to offer, as well as creating
opportunities locally. The first port of call for
anyone we need help from is Newhaven, because
lots of professional people are working here. We
are small but aiming high, and interest from
outside funders and organisations is already
showing we are on track.
We are a mix of people with diverse creative
ideas. The festival is a way of drawing all this
together over time, offering support, building
Newhaven’s profile and delivering a range of
high quality events that attract attention. All
this brings opportunities for our future. We’d
like to see new work spaces, a gallery. Plus
loads of chances just to have fun and enjoy this
amazing town. As told to Joe Fuller
17 Aug – 1 Sep, newhavenfestival.co.uk
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