The organisers of the Rye Christmas Festival have announced there won't be a festival this year. This community event, run by volunteers, began in 2015 and after a hiatus during Covid, was revived in 2022.
One of the main issues is a lack of funding available for one-off events, as well as a need to grow the organising team, as Sophie Thorpe from the Festival explains. "Rye Christmas Festival team needs to grow to be able to delegate roles and responsibilities, from erecting the lights, fundraising to cover the insurance costs or wrapping the presents from Santa to name a few... Without this the project is unsustainable and unmanageable."
She hopes to bring the festival back in 2026. "The event is open to a completely new team to take it over, or welcomes individuals to create a new committee. All suggestions and constructive comments are welcome."Email: sophie.christmasinrye@gmail.com.
