Southdowns Music Festival 2024 line-up confirmed

Chairman Roger Nash is delighted at the way the team have pulled together to rise to the challenge, with a great programme on offer from September 20-22 which will see the town centre and seafront areas of Bognor Regis feasting on a “superb array of great music, dance and much more.”

“There will be a fantastic offering of free entertainment for locals and visitors to enjoy including the hugely-popular Southdowns Ukulele Festival, the third scintillating Shanty Showdown, the Southdowns Dance Festival with a host of colourful dance groups, the new Southdowns Beer & Cider Festival, fascinating craft and market stalls, great music sessions, choirs, workshops, great children’s entertainments and free events at eight different venues.”

The festival will be centred in and around the Place St Maur area next to the Regis Centre with other venues including the William Hardwicke, the Dog & Duck in the Steyne, the RAFA Club (Waterloo Square), The Lamb (Steyne Street), Bonito Lounge in London Road/ High Street, plus the performance area at the southern end of the precinct.

Before its closure, the Regis Centre and Alexandra Theatre played host to the festival's headline concerts. With the centre unavailable due to major refurbishment work, just as last year, the festival will offer instead two evening concerts in the marquee on the Place St Maur on Friday and Saturday evenings, September 20 and 21.

“The Friday concert will feature the brilliant band Fred’s House with support from Olivia Stevens & Friends. Saturday evening will see the brilliant Gerry Colvin & Friends taking the stage with support from the very talented Mark Harrison.”

Tickets for these concerts are £12 or £20 for both, available from the festival website. Otherwise all events are free. For more information, go to www.southdownsfolkfest.co.uk or call/text 07751 594285. For evening concert ticket bookings, go to www.eventbrite.co.uk/south-downs-music-festival-marquee-concerts-tickets-851403509817.

Roger is delighted that the festival will include the Rising Stars Stage which will run on the Saturday and Sunday with different acts coming up, thanks to Rox and to Bognorphenia.

“We can't have the big headliners that we used to have because we haven’t got the theatre but we have got the two concerts on the Friday and Saturday in the marquee. Fred's House has got five of them in the band and they have been playing up and down the country. They are very, very good and very entertaining. They do a lot of their own stuff and one or two covers. I have seen Gerry Colvin and his band at a festival in the New Forest and they were great. Gerry is a born entertainer and very funny. It's very much indie stuff, his own compositions. He used to be a songwriter in Nashville and the way he entertains people and the way he performs is really good. Supporting Gerry we've got Mark Harrison who is an excellent blues player. He has played at different festivals up and down the country.

“We are very grateful to Bognor Regis Town Council for the three-year funding scheme which means that we can plan with more confidence and also big thanks to the numerous business sponsors that we have got. We've had to overcome various challenges over the years but we always get there. Last year not having the theatre for the first time was very interesting and a steep learning curve but we have learned from that.”