Guildford’s Artistic Talent On Display In a Vibrant Four-Day Celebration

Published on: 30 Sep, 2026
Updated on: 30 Sep, 2026

The Guildford Festival of the Arts opens tomorrow (October 1) – bringing a dazzling array of artistic talent to the town.

The four-day community-led celebration of the visual arts, which runs from Thursday until Sunday, is designed to shine a spotlight on Guildford’s wealth of creativity and engage the local community in the process.

Operating as a volunteer-led registered charity, the festival aims to rejuvenate the local art scene by showcasing independent shops, arts venues and creative spaces in a collaborative, community-focused way.

It provides residents and visitors with the opportunity to interact with artists, explore artistic disciplines and participate in collaborative projects.

Venues throughout the town are participating, including New House Arts Space, the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, the Guildford Institute, Art and Grind, GLive, the Lighthouse, St Mary’s Church and many others.

Co-founder Charlie Cluff says: The festival began after a chat with my co-founder, Lauren Gerrard. We were talking about how, when we were growing up, it never felt like there were many opportunities for young creatives – or if there were, we didn’t know where to find them.

“Even as adults, we struggled to think of places in Guildford where we could do something creative without heading into London.

“A bit of research showed us that this actually isn’t the case at all – there is loads happening in Guildford. The problem is that many people simply aren’t aware of it, or don’t know how to access it. That’s what we want to change.

“The festival is our way of shining a spotlight on the creative spaces in the town and helping people discover them. It also creates new opportunities for aspiring artists of any age.”

The full 2026 programme can be accessed here:

6ab9f35526dcf5fc159483be_Guildford_Arts_Festival_Itinerary (2).pdf

The venues:

https://www.guildfordfestivalofthearts.co.uk/venues