LOCAL & LIVE will be returning to Tunbridge Wells with an additional venue and a new app to help ensure the event can continue in the future.
While the majority of the popular mini-festival will be back in the familiar setting of Calverley Grounds from August 25 to 27, the bank holiday Monday will see the Spa Hotel host an open air acoustic stage for the first time. Additional evening performances will also be held at The Forum.
The free festival has been scaled back in recent years after incurring large debts in 2015 when its size peaked with over 320 bands across 15 venues.
The debt forced the festival to be relocated from Calverley Grounds last year but it still managed to raise £8,000 in order to balance its books and return to the park for the coming August Bank Holiday.
Organiser Paul Dunton, a familiar face on the Tunbridge Wells music scene, said: “It is so exciting to be returning to Calverley Grounds for this years Local & Live Festival.
“In a change to previous years we will be starting on the Friday night and then running day and evening on the Saturdays and Sunday. We will have around 40 local acts performing and a fabulous range of local food and drink concessions.
“On Monday we move to our new venue, the beautiful grounds of the spa hotel where we will be running an open air acoustic stage. Around 10 acts will be performing and there will plenty of food and drink available. With late evening after party shows planned at The Forum all weekend and other venues to be announced it’s going to be the best Local & Live yet.”
A new app for the festival is also under development which will let people donate money towards the running of the event and ensure it can survive in future years.
