Summer at the Beach 2023
Arts Festival in Waterbeach,
Cambridge, CB25 9PA
First three weekends in September, (2nd- 3rd, 9th-10th and 16th-17th)
10 am - 5 pm Saturday & Sunday
Waterbeach’s renowned arts festival, Summer at the Beach, is back. As always, the program promises to be filled with a high-quality mix of art, culture, live music, and artisan food. The festival is being staged over the first three weekends in September, (2nd-3rd, 9th-10th and 16th-17th) from 10 am to 5 pm daily. All the events will be held in the evocative, Cold War architecture of the ‘Terrace Units’ in Waterbeach Barracks, CB25 9PA
This unique opportunity to meet and engage with the artists must not be missed.
Summer at the Beach is a fantastic opportunity for Waterbeach’s artistic community to come together, celebrate and share the place that so inspires them. This year’s art exhibition includes ceramicists, milliners, jewellers, textile artists, painters, photographers, filmmakers, sculptors, installation artists, printmakers, bookmakers and multimedia artists working with a huge range of materials including paint, oils, pastels, paper, wood, metal, fabric, beads, papier-mâché, natural and found objects.
It’s free and fully accessible, so why not come along and see what it’s all about?
About Us
Celebrating Creativity Together
Summer at the Beach is an annual Arts Festival run by a collaborative group of more than 20 artists living and working around Waterbeach, near Cambridge, UK. Our group includes many professional artists with prestigious exhibition histories, including the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. This year’s Summer at the Beach Arts Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Alongside the multifaceted arts exhibition showcasing our diverse range of work, there will be a series of free, fully accessible, cultural, and creative events for all ages.
We are committed to inclusivity, promoting creativity for wellbeing and working towards ecological sustainability.
What's On?
Summer at the Beach is a fantastic opportunity to meet the artists and so much more...
Throughout the Festival you will find
A diverse range of art on show.
Many unique pieces of artwork are available to purchase (but absolutely no pressure to buy).
A Creative Space with free art materials available for you to create your own artwork on-site.
Many special events, live music sessions and free workshops (details below).
Cafe - Last, but certainly not least... Summer at the Beach offers what we all think is the best Pop-Up Cafe in East Anglia. Delicious cakes and refreshments are on sale throughout the festival.
Come on down, with cake this good, it mustn't be missed!
Dates for Your Diary
Unmissable Events
A wide range of cultural and creative events for all ages and interests
How to Find Us
Terrace Units, Waterbeach Barracks, Waterbeach, Cambridge CB25 9PA
The Old Barracks are situated just off Denny End Road in Waterbeach. Follow the distinctive red and yellow signs to find us.
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Summer at the Beach is approximately one mile on foot, bicycle or car from Waterbeach Train Station.
FREE PARKING for cars and bicycles
Contact
Book Swap
Make a Difference Today!
Summer at the Beach is hosting a community book swap in aid of CPS Nepal - providing books to children living in poverty. Please pop in to donate your unwanted books and swap or buy some more. The book swap will be ongoing throughout all three weekends.
Experiments in Space & Sound
Summer at the Beach is excited about a new venture that will add to the arts experience of this year’s exhibition. We are dedicating one of the terrace units to audio art, where experimental electronic artists will be able to interact with the industrial architecture to create live and interactive sound installations that respond to the building, its history and the inherent sonic properties of the space.
Sound lab 103 will be open to the public on the 3rd, 9th and 10th of September.
Poetry Writing Workshops
For children aged 8 - 14
Space is limited so please email Helen to book your child's place. You are welcome to join in. Alternatively, you can use the opportunity to wander around the exhibition and visit our wonderful Pop-Up Cafe - however, you must stay on the Terraces site while your child attends the workshop.
For the 'Poetry as Wearable Art' Workshops, please bring a plain, pale-coloured, cotton T-shirt or shirt to draw on. We will be using permanent textile pens and paints, so please wear old clothes.
Printmaking Workshop
Free Event - Adults and Children Welcome
Waterbeach printmaker, Sue Barnes, invites you to drop in and have a go at printmaking between 10.30am - 12.30pm or 2.30 - 4.30pm on Sunday 10th September. All welcome
Clay Workshop
Join ceramicist, Sheena Harris, to see what you can make with clay.
Drop-in workshops - no booking all required.
Adults and children are welcome.
Disco Rayado
Final Day Party with live music from 2.00 pm
Come along and rock with us to sounds of the 70s - 80s
From Idea to Reality:
The Evolution of Summer at the Beach
From tiny acorns...
... to mighty sunflowers!
The vision for Summer at the Beach started in 2014, when a small group of Waterbeach artists came together to exhibit their work as part of Cambridge Open Studios. From the outset, the focus has been on sharing a wide range of high-quality art alongside staging an increasing number of creative and cultural events for our local community to enjoy. The group now includes more than twenty artists including, ceramicists, milliners, textile artists, painters, photographers, filmmakers, sculptors, installation artists and printmakers.
Interview with Gideon Pain
"We can't wait!"
Gideon Pain, local artist and event coordinator, said: “We’re delighted to be back at Waterbeach Barracks this September for our Late Summer at the Beach. As well as some old favourites, we have some exciting new talent to showcase as well as lots of events and activities to inspire enthusiastic amateurs and the next generation.”
Tiger Town
Gideon Pain
As artists, we have all been influenced and inspired by our beautiful Fenland region, but none more so than Gideon Pain. Gideon's Tiger Town installation is his response to the history of a mysterious group of desperados living in 17th Century Fenland. Visit the exhibition to find out more.
