Sunshine, arts and Connection: Take Five Festival Unites Weston in Joyful Celebration
July 15, 2025
The Take Five: Weston Arts + Health Festival returned from July 10–13 for its sixth and most joyful year, filling the hospital, beach, and town with music, movement, and community connections
The festival’s beach hub — a beautiful stretch tent decorated with bunting made by hospital patients — welcomed people of all ages to take part in free activities across the four-day festival.
From the sparkling Disco Neurotico opening night to hands-on workshops in singing, crafting, gardening, cooking, poetry, and even early morning swims, there were endless ways to try something new and meet new people.
At the heart of this year’s event was the Many Cultures One Community campaign — a vibrant celebration of the people, heritage, and creativity that make Weston such a unique and welcoming place to live and work.
The Harmony in Motion showcase lit up the beach with energetic performances from Weston’s communities— including Weston Keralites, Weston Super Mare Association of Malayalees, FYI Community, and Afri Lounge.
Festivalgoers explored the natural world through a host of walks themed around birds, heritage, mindful photography, poetry, and movement. Alive Activities and Growing at Grove Park offered gentle, nature-based engagement, while the Alliance Homes Growing Together group cooked delicious food around the fire.
The town came together in a dazzling show of colour and pride for the community flag parade, organised by Alliance Homes and accompanied by the sounds of the North Somerset Samba group.
One attendee shared that “I came for mermaid life drawing and ended up staying all day. What an amazingly varied programme. I danced, sang, crocheted, cooked, joined the feast, and can’t wait for next year!”
The festival drew to a close with a warm and welcoming community feast, created by Sprout CIC and Global Kitchen, accompanied by joyful live music from Steel Squid Collective, North Somerset’s award-winning band of adults with learning differences — a heart-lifting final note to a weekend filled with colour, connection, and care.
Fiona Matthew, Matthews, Creative Director at Super Culture, said of the festival: “Take Five 2025 showed Weston at its most open-hearted. IIt was a joyful celebration of the Many Cultures One Community campaign — and of the power of creativity to help us learn, grow, connect, and of course laugh! A weekend of undiluted happiness and generosity from all who were involved and who came along!”
On the festival Frances Macadam, Head of Arts Programme at UHBW shared that “We are proud to have brought such an inspiring programme to life in partnership with so many community voices. Particular thanks to our NHS staff and patients who always embrace this opportunity to bring their own creativity to this festival, which connects the hospital and the town in a very unique way.”
Lead image by Paul Blakemore, Film by Nick Sutton Films