10 years in the making, Reigate Summer Festival is a natural collaboration among various local arts groups who have been doing their own thing for years. The festival brings them all together as one.
Reigate Summer Festival evolved from New Music Fest, a local outdoor festival which had taken place every year (except Covid) since 2014, on the playing fields of Reigate Rugby Club. Born out of the monthly New Music Nights, which launched in 2013 to provide a platform for original live music, and a charity fundraiser for YMCA East Surrey, New Music Fest grew over the years to attract over 1,000 people to see dozens of live acts over the mid-summer weekend.
After 2023, the festival found itself without a home and thoughts turned to a long-held notion of holding a festival in the middle of Reigate. New Music Nights joined forces with Reigate College, with support from Reigate Business Guild, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council and a number of other community interest groups, and hatched a plan to launch a comprehensive arts festival that would take over the town centre for one glorious weekend in mid-summer.
Support for the idea was overwhelming. Local choirs, dance and drama groups, writers, poets, comedians and even historians jumped on it like they’d been waiting for it all their lives and we knew we had a festival on our hands. At the same time, Reigate venues expressed their desire to be involved, by putting on their own music, book readings, film screenings and more. And although it rained more than it’s ever rained before in the history of the world, people came out to enjoy all that was on offer, indoors and out, with large crowds gathering at the spectacular Tunnel Stage.
For year two the sun shone, the festival grew and the crowds came out in droves. The town was buzzing all weekend. We’re now looking forward to 2026, with new ideas, new ambitions and new participants joining in all the time. The festival is free, apart from one or two ticketed events, and that’s thanks to generous sponsorship from local businesses and some handsome grants from funders. Individuals who love the idea of an arts festival in their town and want to support it can make a contribution on Crowdfunder. But the most valuable support you can give is to turn up.
An exciting vision
Reigate is known for many things. House prices for one! But there is so much more to the town. The statue of Margot Fonteyn heralds your arrival in a town with an outstanding artistic pedigree. Now we want to put Reigate on the map as a destination for great art, be it music, drama, dance, literature, film, art, comedy, fashion, historic craft or any other art form you can think of.
Since it launched in 2013, New Music Nights has made its home in five different venues – an indication of how hard it is to find suitable performance spaces for all ages and genres. The long-term closure of the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill has added to the pressing need for a new venue. So we want to build one. As well as putting Reigate firmly on the cultural map, we want to give it its own dedicated performance venue, available to all the local groups working hard to promote their own art. We want to build a state-of-the-art facility where you can display great art in a reverential hush, or make a bit of noise without annoying the neighbours; welcome audiences of all ages and tastes in safety and style; promote local creativity or attract nationally acclaimed acts.
We’re planning this place for Reigate and the ball is already rolling. If you want to add your weight to the movement, we’d love to hear from you.
Meet the team
Reigate Summer Festival is run by a team of mostly volunteers plus some suppliers who give their services and expertise at mates rates. We’re always looking for new recruits, especially young ones.
The 2026 festival is being brought to you by:
Denise Cross – Treasurer/S’ship/Community Stage
Nicki Day – Fringe Trail/Workshops/Busk Stops
Yvonne McCoach – Film
Nikki Franklin – Music
Lorraine Donald – Music
Martin Wilkie – History
Rob Winslade – Book Signings
Comedy Cottage – Comedy
Jane Wardle – Mascot ‘Ray’ Creator
Julian Griffiths – Sponsorship
Sally Cranham – Sponsorship
Beverley Hussey – Admin
Raluca Gayler – Video
Tim Glynne-Jones – New Music Nights
David Fisher – New Music Nights
Simon Walter – New Music Nights
Tim Canessa Davies – New Music Nights
Joel O’Flaherty – New Music Nights
Tom Hughes – New Music Nights
Jos Reeves – New Music Nights
Julian Mills – New Music Nights
Ruby Waters – New Music Nights
Duncan Miller – New Music Nights
Matt Carr – New Music Nights
Giles Pittock – New Music Nights
Andy Mooney – New Music Nights
Keiran Wynyard – New Music Nights
Plus a huge group of volunteers who helped with set up, clear up and the running of different events, without whom this festival would not have been the same.
