Hurst Festival was conceived in 2004 by a merry band of friends over dinner, impressed by the wealth of talent in our village.  The first festival was an afternoon of events at the Hurstpierpoint Village Centre, and over 500 people turned up.  The founders realised their idea had serious potential, and plans were quickly underway to create a full-length festival to take place each September. 

A committee was formed to meet and bounce ideas around over a few bottles of wine, and the first two-week festival was held in September 2005.  In 2006 the Festival was registered as a charity, with the main aims of celebrating every aspect of art, entertainment and culture for all ages  – as a means of strengthening ties within the villages of Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common  – and to support our local entertainment and hospitality industry.

Although the team behind the Festival has grown, we’re still a charity largely run by volunteers.   We endeavour to put together a programme of more than 60 events over the fortnight, and we do our best to provide something for everyone. The diversity of the events we offer is only possible thanks to the generous financial support of our sponsors and funding providers, and our community who come together to provide venues, organise bar supplies, and volunteer at events.  If you’re interested in volunteering, please get in touch.

We are always looking for enthusiastic people to join our committee.  As soon as one Festival ends, we start work on the next one, so if you have any ideas about events you’d like to see, and/or would like to work with us, please get in touch.