It was a bit chilly in 2011, to be fair, but the historic backdrop provided the ideal setting for a week of summer entertainment and Bryan McDonald was delighted to report an increase in visitor numbers as the popular festival grew year by year. The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk are great supporters of the festival, of course, and in the picture above, you can see the duchess, Georgina Fitzalan-Howard, raising flag to launch the 2017 programme.
The festival offers an eclectic mix of visual arts, drama, music, dance, comedy and street entertainment. There is something for everyone. The River Arun features as strongly as the town centre in the festival and over the years, crowd favourites have included the bath tub race, the duck race and dragon boat racing.