Brightlingsea WinterFest, the town’s month-long festival of arts, music, wellbeing and the spoken word starts on February 1 – and this year it’s bigger and better than ever!

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this year’s WinterFest features around 45 events, encompassing everything from punk concerts to meditation, comedy nights to swing dances, arts and craft lessons, games nights and a Brightlingsea Bake Off competition.

The Brightlingsea Literary Festival will run in conjunction with WinterFest, featuring workshops and readings by local authors, a Heroes and Heritage-themed day for families at Brightlingsea Museum and a shost story competition with a local theme.

Events take place at venues all over town, hosted by a large team of volunteers. Most are free to enter, with the exception of the Music by Candlight cabaret evening in St James’ Church on March 1 and the final Literary Festival event in the Thames Estuary Lobster Hatchery on March 15. All performers give their time for free.

Over the last ten years WinterFest has raised over £38,000 for Mid and North-East Essex Mind and the WinterFest Wellbeing Fund, which helps Brightlingsea residents and organisations with grants to buy items or activities that support their wellbeing.

For information on all the events, see the WinterFest website.