About the festival

A short history of Local & Live

Founded and organised by local musician, Paul Dunton, Local & Live has grown to become a key event in the Kent musical calendar.  The ethos of the Festival is simple: to create a free community event that provides a platform for local, original music talent across all genres.  Regularly welcoming in excess of 20,000 visitors over the August Bank Holiday, Local & Live has become a firm favourite for not only people local to Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas but many visitors to the town as well.

I would personally like to congratulate Local and Live becoming a charity to further strengthen their role in enhancing public appreciation of and education in the arts and music in Tunbridge Wells. The annual festival has been run successfully for twelve years. The new Charity will allow them to broaden their scope in supporting local cultural activities for the benefit of everyone in Tunbridge Wells. The festivals also provide a valuable boost to local businesses.”
The Rt. Hon Greg Clark, MP for Royal Tunbridge Wells

Building on the exceptional growth of the event, Local & Live 2014 moved to a prime town centre location in Calverley Grounds, with an additional Fringe Festival taking place across eight prime venues around the town and will see close to 200 acts performing.

The four-day Festival attracts a wide audience of residents from around the Borough and Festival-goers visiting the town. It draws a true cross section of the population from teens, to couples, families with children, regular music lovers, students and senior citizens – in fact it is for everyone in the community.

Quite simply it is the largest event organised in the town, it is for everyone, it is free and the musical talent is exceptional. 

Please get in touch to find out more about how you can support Local & Live.