Chasing away the winter blues!

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We are Brightlingsea Winterfest

Banishing the winter blues in Brightlingsea, Essex with events to boost your mental and physical wellbeing.

WinterFest helps to fight depression by raising spirits and developing a sense of community during the darkest time of the year.
It’s a serious subject, but we have a lot of fun with a host of music, arts and other events.
We support Mid and North East Essex Mind and our own Wellbeing Fund.
Want to support us?

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Check out our 2024 events

Concerts, comedy, arts and crafts, wellbeing, spoken word, health, walks and more – there's something for everyone at Brightlingsea WinterFest.

February 29, 2024

All Saints’ Imaginarium

March 3, 2024

Brightlingsea Literary Festival Meet the Authors

March 9, 2024

Poetry, Prose and Prosecco

See All Events

Not able to get to a WinterFest event?

DONATE TO WINTERFEST

Our aims are simple..

To bring people of all ages and cultures together to build community cohesion and resilience...

To promote the arts as a pathway to better mental wellbeing and raise awareness of mental health issues

To showcase local talent, encourage more people to take up a new hobby and join the local clubs and music groups

To support local businesses, especially in the tourism and hospitality industry, helping to boost income

This year we're all about inclusivity

As part of of that theme, we bring you a short film made by local teenager Robyn and film-maker Ray Hayden which we hope you'll love as much as we do! Featuring the ball skills of Bagheera the cat.

Helping the people of Brightlingsea

The WinterFest Wellbeing Fund provides grants of up to £100 to help Brightlingsea residents improve their mental, physical and social wellbeing. To apply or find out more about the Fund click the button below.

WELLBEING FUND

Here's just some of the things we've funded for Brightlingsea folk of all ages, helping to make lives better.

£200 for Men's Shed

£100 for piano lessons

Family passes for Brightlingsea Lido

£200 for new toys at Toy Library

Family Lion King show tickets

£200 for Brightlingsea in Bloom

Funding for a Lourdes trip

Lifejackets for University Sailing Club

£200 for creative resources at Brightlingsea Lido

£90 for guitar lessons

Funds for Fresh Air Festival

Coding device for child with ADSD

Resources for Adult Literacy Group

Furniture for Dungeons and Dragons group

Funds for Roots Nature Play forest school

Child seat for a bicycle

Dining shelter for 3rd Brightlingsea Guides

Resources for Brightlingsea Regent under 7s

Day out at BeWILDerwood

Flooring for Pulse Performers

WinterFest News

Brrr! Sthiranaga swims a chilly marathon for Brightlingsea WinterFest

Cold water swimmer Sthiranaga Barrenger has been hailed a hero for raising £2,220 after completing the gruelling Arctic Polar Bear Challenge. A former Mayor of Brightlingsea, Sthiranaga braved freezing temperatures [...]

Colne Delta Club helps to banish Brightlingsea blues with WinterFest donation

Literary Festival welcomes Essex authors

In 2014, following the suicide of a well-known local musician after a long battle with depression, a group of his friends decided to hold a small concert in his memory. The event was designed to raise spirits and boost the town’s sense of community.

The first WinterFest took place in 2015 – a four-day music and arts festival run by volunteers at at different venues around Brightlingsea. It raised over £2,000 for Mind UK and has since gone on to raise thousands more for Mid and North East Essex Mind, a self-funded subsidiary of Mind UK. Since 2019 the event puts most of the money it raises into the WinterFest Wellbeing Fund, which aims to boost the physical and mental wellbeing of Brightlingsea residents.

From those early beginnings, WinterFest has grown to become a major town event, featuring something for everyone to enjoy with lots of opportunities to get involved.

Come along and banish the winter blues with us!