Sunshine, Smiles and Seaside Joy at Southmead Festival

07/08/2026

A huge wave of thanks to everyone who came along to this year’s Southmead Festival. So many of you seemed to have a brilliant day at ‘Southmead-on-Sea’, soaking up the fun, sunshine, and seaside spirit of this one-day holiday together as a community.

Feedback is still rolling in like a cheerful tide of positivity, with big thumbs ups for the theme – beside the seaside – beside the sea!

A massive bucket-and-spade-sized thank you also to the volunteers who rolled up their sleeves – and maybe even their trousers – to get stuck in and help the Southmead Development Trust team make the day shine. And warm thanks to our sponsors and donors for helping towards the costs and keeping the fun afloat.

Our Community Team Lead, Lucille, coordinated the day and said:

We transformed Greenway Centre with great joy into its own little seaside escape, complete with donkey rides, a fun fair, and a huge paddling pool for anyone who fancied a cooling dip. Our community performers filled the air with fantastic seaside songs, and highlights for me were Horsebox Hobo’s Sea Shanties including ‘Naughty Pirate’ to the tune of ‘Drunken Sailor’ (and they made a naughty pirate walk the plank and do Star Jumps!), along with the children’s fancy dress parade compered by the incredible Afro Mermaid.

I also loved the Seaside Memories Hut, sponsored with thanks to St Monica Trust, where older folk shared treasured seaside memories from summers gone by, along with the Southmead Churches Together tea tent, where everyone was kept properly refreshed with a cuppa and a smile.

What was your favourite catch of the day? We would love to know. Please do fill in our feedback form below so we can gather all your comments, ideas, and suggestions to make next year’s festival even brighter.

The day would not have been possible without help to set sail. A huge thank you to everyone who provided free activities and joined us to meet the community.

Do visit our holiday albums at Greenway Centre Facebook page to see if you can spot yourself, friends, and family >here

We are already beginning to chart the course for the next Southmead Festival on Saturday 24th July 2027. If you would like to volunteer, perform, or put on a free activity, it is never too soon to get in touch. Contact Lucille, email: at lucillesmith@southmead.org or tel: 0117 950 3335.

Thank you for making Southmead-on-Sea such a joyful splash – we cannot wait to sea you all next year!

Complete the three feedback questions >here

Find out what else is on at our community hubs >here

Thank you to our Festival sponsors:

Thank you to our Festival partners:

Thank you to our Raffle Prize Voucher partners:

 

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