Now in its fifth year, the festival has become a vibrant showcase of local sustainability, creativity and eco-friendly initiatives.
Set against Eastbourne’s scenic seafront and green spaces, with events dotted throughout the town, the programme includes an eco-fair, beach cleans, eco-art, film screenings, water sports tasters and much more.
Opening weekend highlights include the ‘Kidical Mass’ cycling event (Saturday, May 10, 11:00 a.m.) and the Eco Fair on the Western Lawns, featuring 35 stalls showcasing various charity and community groups, food stalls, and the official Opening Ceremony at 1:00 p.m.
On Sunday, May 11, the ‘Big Beach Clean’ invites the community to pick up their litter pickers to help restore the shoreline, while the ‘Flooded Shop’ installation (May 10–12, The Beacon) delivers a striking visual message about sea level rise.
A new film is also on offer. Screenings of ‘Ocean with David Attenborough’ will be shown at the Towner Cinema (May 11 & 14), while the creatively named but powerful ‘Big Turd Paddle Out’ on Saturday, May 17, protests water pollution.
Nature lovers can also join guided walks, including one that explores the Pevensey Levels, ‘Marshland: Mysteries of the Levels’, and another along the ‘Chalk Cliffs and Grassy Downs’.
The festival ends with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, May 18, including a ‘Meditative Water Cycle Ceremony’ at Holywell.
As Festival organiser Oliver Sterno said, “This year’s Festival is bigger, better, and more appealing.”
The festival is encouraging participants to be as ‘eco-conscious’ as they can be by bringing a refillable drinking bottle to events instead of a single-use plastic water bottle, as there will be a refill station, to walk, cycle, use the bus or car share if driving to events, take rubbish home, and come with an ‘open mind’ to learn more about Eastbourne’s efforts to improve the environment.
Most events are free or at a reduced cost for festival-goers, encouraging locals to explore Eastbourne’s natural beauty while supporting positive environmental change.
Whether you’re up for browsing the eco-fair on the lawns, a peaceful walk, or a fresh look at coastal living, the Spring Water Festival is a refreshing way to welcome the warmer months.
For the full schedule, visit either www.plasticfreeeastbourne.co.uk/festival, the lead organisers, whose goal is, as they say, “to rid our town of single-use plastics”, or the Eastbourne Spring Water Festival Facebook page.