Music and the arts brought thousands of people together in Keynsham during the annual festival week.
Comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean on the Top Stage on Friday night | Photo © John Aldridge
Run by volunteers, Keynsham Music Festival prides itself on being inclusive and accessible and has grown over the years to become one of the country’s largest community events.
Over the six days, there was a huge variety of talent on show with music of all genres, a choir festival, poetry, top-class comedy, a Memory Café for those with dementia and their carers, aerial fitness, circus and ballet.
There was a full-on schedule of acts across five stages in Memorial Park on Saturday and Sunday.
Big Mambo, an all-female four-piece band from Bristol, performed on Sunday evening | Photo © John Aldridge
There was also the huge butterfly sculpture, which had previously been showcased at the Glastonbury Festival. Ten young people who are vulnerable to harm in the community created it as part of a special project which offered them a welding course.
Today the organisers said the festival would not have been possible without a huge number of people working behind the scenes.
“Sponsors, grants, Keynsham Town Council and support and from others were absolutely essential. Topping it all was Keynsham’s community where organisations and individuals from the town got together to make it work.
Choir Jam on the bandstand on Saturday | Photo © John Aldridge
“Many of them shook buckets at the entrances to the Memorial Park on Saturday and Sunday to collect those all-important voluntary donations whilst others did their part by generously giving money to help make it happen.
“An outstanding feature was the cleanliness of the park – Keynsham’s Wombles kept it looking at its best throughout the weekend as they have done in previous festivals.
“Thankfully the weather played its part. There was only a little of rain and the festival fitted in between two heatwaves that would have created their own problems.”
