Village Green 2015

February 24, 2015 by Joanna Harrison

GOOD NEWS FOR VILLAGE GREEN 2015

Southend’s well-loved arts and music festival, Village Green, will return to Chalkwell Park on 11 July 2015 for its 7th consecutive year - from 11am until 9pm.

We can announce that ticket prices will remain at the same level as last year at FREE for 10 years and under; £5 for 11-17 year olds and £10 for an adult ticket.

We are also delighted to announce that there will be a limited number of Early Bird tickets available from today at £4 for 11-17 year olds and £8 for adults. Available until 1 April 2015.

We have been working hard to build on the success and reputation of Village Green as a family-friendly festival. 2015 will see more programming for early years and young children. We are introducing a new Games Tent for kids and adults alike, with activities such as Poetry Bingo, Musical Flares and a MASSIVE pass-the-parcel that will involve forfeits! The festival will also see the return of the Teen Stage, curated by local teenagers working in partnership with South Essex College.

Musical Highlights

Musical highlights include local legend Snowboy and the Latin Section, who will be celebrating their 30th anniversary at Village Green; Hollie Cook, daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, who recently supported the Stone Roses on their reunion tour; Essex-based break-through band, Asylums; Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals (featuring local lad Dave Randall ‘of Faithless’ fame) and platinum-selling 2-tone veterans, The Selecter. More headline arts and music acts will be announced in the Spring.

Sean McLoughlin, Village Green Event Director said, “We are delighted that we have been able to hold tickets at the same price despite rising costs and further cuts to the arts and other services. Tickets prices are still heavily subsidised by Metal’s partnership funding through Arts Council England, Southend on Sea Borough Council and other partners – including a fantastic team of volunteers who work so hard to make the day an amazing event to start the summer for the local community. We are committed to showcasing local talent – as well as inviting visiting artists - in the fields of music, theatre, dance, poetry, visual arts to Southend.”
Sean McLoughlin continued, ‘There is always a hardcore of regular fans who love Village Green and come without fail year on year. Our early bird discount is a small thank you for their continued support.’

Metal have also set aside 500 FREE tickets for low income families* and individuals in Southend. These can be secured with the council through their Southend Advantage Card scheme. For more details visit http://www.southend.gov.uk/info/200354/sports_and_leisure/109/southend_advantage_card
*Please note that low income is defined as being in receipt of benefits.

How to buy tickets

Tickets go on sale today (Tuesday 24 February) and are available online 24hours through the new Village Green Festival website www.villagegreenfestival.com or by telephone from the Skiddle Ticket Sales hotline on 0844 844 2920 (open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm; Sat 10am-5pm; Closed Sunday).

In further news, Village Green: Next Generation – the exclusive festival day for Southend school pupils - is confirmed and set to go ahead on Friday 10 July 2015. This day will see 3 000+ children enjoying their own festival the day before Village Green. Participation is open to ALL Southend schools. Anyone interested should contact Metal on 01702 470700.