There will be no Village Green 2018! However Metal – the arts organisation who spearheads the festival – has already fixed a date for it to return in 2019 for a tenth anniversary special.

The news was announced at a Village Green ‘thank you’ event held last night for its supporters, where festival director Sean McLoughlin said Village Green 2017, which took place in Chalkwell Park, Westcliff, had been the “best one yet”.

Echo:

He added that the small Metal team behind the event had decided to take a year out to prepare for the "huge tenth anniversary special", to take place on Friday July 5 2019 (Village Green: Next Generation) and Saturday July 6 (Village Green) in Chalkwell Park.

Metal’s artistic director and CEO Colette Bailey added in a statement: “We know that this will be disappointing news for those who take part, volunteer, support or come as audience every year – and we wanted to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you for their part in making it such a brilliant experience.

“In 2017, Village Green and its accompanying schools’ festival Village Green: Next Generation delighted audiences of 21,000, worked with 663 artists (449 local, 156 UK, 58 International), delivered workshops to 4980 young people and partnered with 28 schools.

Echo:

“Alongside all the other projects that our small team in Southend deliver, we work across the whole year to plan, fundraise and prepare these festivals. Before the lights go out and the stages pack up, we are already in planning for the next year.

“After nine really great years of working at this speed, we have decided to take a year out in 2018. We will be using the year wisely, taking time to have a proper think, brainstorm some new ideas and talk you all about how to come back for a huge tenth anniversary special in 2019!”

Fact file from Metal 

• 60 per cent of money spent on Village Green goes straight back into immediate local creative economy – through contracts for lighting, sound, production and performers – businesses based in Southend.

• 47 freelance contracts were signed to help Metal arts organisation deliver Village Green in 2017. 100 per cent of these were Southend based creative practitioners – helping to provide local work for local people.

• Audiences travel from as far north as the Lake District, as far west as Cornwall and Wales and as far east as Great Yarmouth and Norwich. Almost 40 per cent of the Village Green audiences travel in to Southend for the event, contributing to Southend and the local economy through overnight stays, eating out and retail purchases.

• In 2017, the media reach through print, radio broadcast, online and social media was 12.8million – sending positive images and messages out about Southend.

• Village Green took a year off in 2011 too.