Alton Parties in the Park to celebrate Alton Arts Festival

Alton Arts Festival 2026 came to a joyful close on Sunday 12th July as hundreds filled Alton's Public Gardens for Party in the Park: an afternoon of live music, food, sunshine and celebration, and a fitting finale to a packed ten days.

Returning for its second edition, AAF brought together artists, audiences, schools, community groups and local businesses across a footprint spanning Alton, Chawton and Holybourne.

The warmth of the response has delighted the volunteer organising committee. Dementia-friendly Alton, taking part in their first ever ArtBox session, posted afterwards: "Our members, carers and volunteers had such a great time designing their rainbow banner and getting messy creating it. We were so pleased to see our contribution toward the bunting on display in the Town Park… you've made us feel so involved in the festival. A real part of the community."

Audiences echoed the sentiment. "Am loving the festival. Thank you for putting together such a great programme," wrote one visitor on social media, while a festival patron wrote to the team to say the town had been "brilliant and buzzy." Another email to the committee put it simply: "The talent you have engaged has been brilliant. I just want to say a massive thank you for everything you've done over the past 10 days. It has been a truly amazing festival."

And it wasn't just audiences who left feeling moved. The band Memorial, who played an intimate show at Goldfinch Books, posted afterwards: "Saturday was quite possibly one of the nicest shows we've ever played." And they weren't alone. Across the festival, artists and performers fed back that Alton audiences were among the best they'd ever played to. This is a special community indeed.

Volunteer Lisa Hillan summed it up in six words: "My horizons were expanded. Amazing Festival!"

AAF 2026 in numbers

• 1,944 tickets sold across 38 events, including 13 free events

• 300+ artists and performers on stages across the festival

• 64 free workshops delivered to 3,500+ students across 15 primary schools, 2 secondary schools and Treloar's as part of the AAF Schools Programme

• 250+ metres of bunting handmade by local Altonians, and kept for the community's future use

• 209 subversive tea towels from Holly Searle's celebrated textile collection on display at the Community Centre

• 50+ selected artworks from AAF’s Schools Programme exhibited at Freedom Through Expression Gallery

• 46 volunteers, including the 13 committee members, keeping things running in their pink high-vis vests, kindly donated by Brant Self Storage

• 14 Morris sides dancing in the streets, the public gardens, and at the town-wide ceilidh

• 14 Patrons, Friends, Supporters and Champions

• 10 venues, 30 banners and flags flying across Alton, Chawton and Holybourne

Festival chair Annie Lancaster said: "I feel so proud of our team and of our town!  A 10-day arts festival made entirely by volunteers, powered entirely by community. Alton, you've been utterly brilliant.”