Worthing Festival will take place between Friday 19–Sunday 21 June 2026
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Following an incredible inaugural year in 2025, Worthing Festival and Fringe returns this June with even bigger ambition.Across 1–30 June 2026, the Fringe will once again fill venues across the town, whilst the main Festival weekend will take over Homefield Park from 19–21 June. Building on last year’s energy, the Festival will feature more than 50 bands, performers, artists and community groups spanning local, national and international talent, expanded creative workshops for adults and children – including a new dedicated children’s tent and sessions at The Haven – and even more immersive, site-wide art installations.We will also be opening the Festival Park on Friday afternoon with a relaxed, neurodiversity-friendly experience without live bands, offering space to explore the art, food and drink at a gentler pace.Our community parade and street party will return this year to launch Fringe month, and the Festival will also bring improved bar facilities and an expanded Sound Garden arts trail.With even more exciting news to be announced in the coming months, we’re proud to keep building, growing and championing Worthing’s vibrant creative community.
Get involved
Take part in the Fringe
Start planning your Worthing Fringe event for June 2026. The Festival Fringe is open-access and anyone can register their event and be part of it. The deadline for registering your event is Tuesday 31 March.
Volunteer
We rely on the support of volunteers to run our community festival. There are lots of ways you can help out, including stewarding, bar work, event support, site decor, litter picking, Fringe coordination, social media and much more.
Donate
Support your local free arts festival by making a one-off donation. Your support helps us grow our programme of music, art, community and heritage for everyone to enjoy. Let's grow this town together!
Festival Artist: Laurie Rowan
Laurie Rowan is a Worthing-based animator, illustrator and director known for his distinctive, playful character design and bold modular worlds. Blending digital animation with tactile textures, his work is recognised internationally for its warmth, humour and craft. His clients include the BBC, Channel 4 and Disney, and his projects have earned a Children’s BAFTA win and nomination, a Lovie Award and multiple festival selections. Laurie has created commissions for Google, Microsoft, MTV, The New York Times and The New Yorker, with his animations amassing over 925 million views worldwide. He is represented for direction by Nexus Studios.Visit his website
Find Laurie Rowan on Instagram
Festival Programme 2025
Festival Park 21–22 June 2025
A free three-day festival at Homefield Park. Three main stages – Park, AudioActive: Kustom Vibes, and Discovery – showcasing an exciting range of local, national and emerging talent.
People brought their families and enjoyed a fun day out with live music, dance and performance, local food and drink, creative workshops, skate and rollerblade demos, a children's art wall and an interactive sound garden.
Food Vendors 2025
Our Worthing Festival food vendors were here to serve up a feast of global flavours! From the bold spices of Cairovan’s North African wraps to the sunny Mediterranean tastes of Happy Go Souvlaki, there was something to suit every craving.We tucked into mouthwatering barbecue from Ditch Brisket, indulgent mac and cheese from Mac Daddy, or fresh West African favourites from Mama Sheila’s Kitchen. Saltio brought the rich culinary heritage of Mexico, while Podgers offered street food classics—think burgers, hotdogs, tacos and sliders, all made with flair.We grabbed a loaded bagel from Mr Bagel, satisfied our sweet tooth with vegan doughnuts from Cat Burglar Dough Co, and cooled off with handcrafted gelato from G-Lite Worthing. For a caffeine kick, TruBru Nitro Coffee delivered smooth, cold-brewed drinks with a twist. With something for every appetite and diet, our food court was the perfect place to refuel between festival moments.At the heart of our food offering was The Real Junk Food Project, a truly inspiring initiative tackling food waste and food poverty head-on. Serving delicious, wholesome meals made from perfectly good surplus food, TRJFP operates on a Pay As You Feel basis—because value isn't just about money. Whether you offer a donation, your time, or your skills, everything is appreciated. It's food with a conscience, and a reminder that community, sustainability and good taste go hand in hand.
Festival Fringe 1–30 June 2026
Registrations are now open for Worthing Fringe 2026.Taking place from 1–30 June, the Fringe is an open-access programme designed to celebrate the breadth of creativity across the town. Artists, performers, venues, community groups and producers of all disciplines are invited to take part – whether you’re staging a theatre show, exhibition, gig, workshop, talk or something completely unexpected.The Festival team supports Fringe participants by hosting events on the official website, promoting the programme collectively and helping drive audiences into venues throughout June.If you have an idea, we’d love to hear from you – join us in making June a month-long celebration of creativity in Worthing.Register your event
Festival Fringe Events 2026
Fringe events will be listed on this page
Our Headline Sponsors 2025
We are very grateful for the significant financial support of our Headline Sponsor Bowers & Wilkins, our Main Sponsors AudioActive and the HandBrew Co, and grant funding from Arts Council England. We would not be able to stage such a vibrant, ambitious and inclusive Festival without their help and commitment to the Worthing community. We look forward to developing the Festival and Fringe with them in the future, and to putting Worthing firmly on the UK cultural map.
Our Partners and Supporters 2025
Many local organisations and people have played an important role in helping us bring the Festival to life, through their financial and in kind support, as well as their creative input, ideas and encouragement. We look forward to working with them to grow the Festival and Fringe for residents and visitors alike in the coming years.Our grateful thanks to Best Foot Media, Blue Sky Music, Brighton Metropolitan College, Cohesion Plus, Colonnade House, Connect Media, Friends of Homefield Park, Hemiko, Inside Worthing, Lightning Fibre, Making it Out, Men in Sheds, Northbrook College, Platform B, Playtronica, the Real Junk Food Project, South Coast Skate Club, Spring into Soul, Storm Ministries, Worthing Theatres & Museum, Worthing Wheelies and the University of Sussex.
Festival Artist 2026
Watch this space