For the first time, Aylesbury on Sea, organised by Aylesbury Town Council, featured the popular family-friendly literary and arts festival, WhizzFizzFest funded by Buckinghamshire Council.
The event is part of the Town Council’s free community events programme and took place on Sunday 2 July in Vale Park.
Taking centre stage at Aylesbury on Sea was 60-tonnes of sand which was surrounded by traditional striped deckchairs. Residents enjoyed the land train, Punch and Judy shows, prize bingo, mini-golf, beach volleyball, limbo competition and a Helter Skelter.
Buckets and spades were provided for families to create their own sand sculptures and Zoomania hosted their popular face painting stand with Milo the Monkey.
Across the park, families had a plethora of activities to dive into at WhizzFizzFest which were based around this year’s festival theme of ‘Friendship’.
This was a chance for families to not just get creative but to also find out about some of the community projects in Aylesbury including a Penpals project, in partnership with Community Impact Bucks, where children were invited to write a letter to a child in Buckinghamshire that has recently moved to the county from Ukraine.
A group of young people, that are supported by disability and autism support charity, Talkback UK’s social enterprise – The Accessible Workshop -, made a wooden book cabinet which was showcased for the first time at the event. This is part of the Town Council’s Little Free Libraries project where residents can swap books in their communities.
Local theatre group, Unbound Theatre, performed an immersive Alice in Wonderland show and there was a chance to chat to and be inspired by local children’s authors Aston Smith and Roselee Guinness in the Creative Marquee.
The vibrant festival, funded by Buckinghamshire Council, has celebrated children’s literacy and art for more than 10 years and was originally inspired by Buckinghamshire author, Roald Dahl. For 2023, it has evolved and is ‘on tour’ for the first time with events also taking place in High Wycombe (WhizzFizzFest @ Desborough Carnival on 8 July) and Chesham (WhizzFizzFest @ Hats Off Chesham! on 15 July).
Clive Harriss, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure said: “Buckinghamshire Council was delighted to be involved in bringing fantastic free cultural and creative activities to WhizzFizzFest @ Aylesbury on Sea event last weekend. It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the event. With more events to follow at the Desborough Carnival and Hats Off Chesham! in the coming weeks, there is more for everyone to enjoy. Don’t forget, if you missed the library shows in Aylesbury, tickets are available at other libraries across the county so don’t miss out.”
As part of Aylesbury Town Council’s pledge to hold accessible events for all, there were BSL signed performances by Hand Talking, a Quiet Zone for those needing time away from the event and visual story resources were issued prior to the event. Visual stories are for those who may be overwhelmed by the events and can see what to expect from the day prior to attending.
The Mayor of Aylesbury, Cllr Steven Lambert, said: “Seeing so many families come to Vale Park and enjoy both Aylesbury on Sea and WhizzFizzFest was incredible. We love to bring the beach to Aylesbury year on year, support local groups and businesses, and give residents a day to remember. It was a joy to meet so many people and to see the community support my chosen charities of the year – Age UK Buckinghamshire and Youth Concern.
“The event not only gave families a free day filled with fun and memories but also highlighted some of the fantastic community projects the Town Council is involved with from the Little Free Libraries with Talkback UK and Penpals project with Community Impact Bucks.
“A big thank you to Michael Anthony Estate Agents for providing prizes for bingo, Radley’s Windows, Doors and Conservatories for hosting the performance area and all the event volunteers.”
Aylesbury Town Council’s next free event is Parklife Weekend on 26-27 August in Vale Park, Aylesbury. The weekend will see Live in the Park and Proms in the Park.