Blog

Highlights Concert 2025

Our annual Highlights Concert and award ceremony is a celebration of the most interesting, vibrant, promising, and talented entrants from the Festival each year.

Friday 7th February 2025 6.30pm – 9.30pm (Doors open at 6.00pm)

Venue: The Memorial Hall, Station Road, Royal Wootton Bassett SN4 8EN

You may book up to four free tickets for family members through Ticket Tailor. If you are able and willing, you can also give a donation toward the Festival at the time of booking your tickets. Any donations are ploughed back into the Festival to keep improving things.

We look forward to seeing all the specially invited entrants perform and to welcoming you all on the 7th February.

BIFF Annual Conference

Two of our committee members, Helen and Lara, made it to the BIFF Annual Conference last Sunday representing Royal Wootton Bassett Arts Festival.

The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech (BIFF) has been supporting amateur performing arts festivals to provide performance opportunities in their local communities for over 100 years, and we are proud to be a member.

Online Entries Close Today

Today is the last day you can enter the 2024, #RWBArtsFestival.

All sections are filling up now and we cannot take late entries! (Dance is already closed as it is is already full.)

Timetabling will begin next week. You will receive an email with relevant details. Please do not contact us if you do not hear anything immediately. Timetabling is a big job and we will be in touch as soon as we have completed the task.

Good luck rehearsing! See you in November!

Festival Update: Dance Closed

We look forward to welcoming you all at the Festival this year. Do come and join us, whether performers or spectators.  
Dance and Guitar on Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th November
Dance, Speech & Drama and Musical Theatre on Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th November 
Music (Piano, Singing and Instrumental) on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November. 

For budding writers: do look at our Poetry and Radio Competitions – deadline for entry 30th October. Please enter online and further details and information on where to send submissions will be sent after entry. 

General: Closing date for festival performance entries 30th September
Dance is now full. Entries are closed.

Stripe is now being used to collect entry fees when entries are submitted (BACS payments are no longer an option) 
Music Section: New classes in the Music section this year:
Singing: Song in a Foreign Language
Piano: Baroque Solo
Instrumental Composer Class – now open to Adults
Do look at the Traditional Music section for entrants who play traditional instruments from any country – solo, duet and ensemble classes are available

New Rule: Performers are not allowed to reproduce work presented the previous year 

Vital Information – Music Upload: Backing tracks for Dance, Musical Theatre and Singing will all be uploaded digitally this year – more information to follow after the entry closing date.

New Online Entry System Launching 1st May

Our new Online Entry System will be open for entries from 1st May.

In the meantime, please note you will need to visit our On-Line Entry page to submit entries. Paper and email entries will no longer be accepted. Entry Fees must be paid at the time of entry by BACS. No cheques. Please note: Refunds will not be issued once entries have been submitted. Please see Syllabus for support page 11. Please refer to the Syllabus for class number and name before making an entry. Entry closing date: 30th September 2024.

RWB Arts Festival 2024 Announcement

The RWB Arts Festival is a competitive arts festival for both children and adults that takes place annually. The Festival covers music, speech, drama, musical theatre, classical guitar, and dance. We are affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals (BIFF) which is the umbrella body for performing arts festivals throughout the UK and beyond.

Dance

Dance takes place across two weekends with a wide range of classes. We also have a Novice section, open to those who have never been placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd with a mark of 82 or above at any festival before. A great opportunity for newly fledged dancers! Once achieved, successful performers must return to the Open section.

Music

The Music Festival covers classes in Piano, Vocal and Instrumental. NEW THIS YEAR are Baroque Solo classes in Piano, and Song in a Foreign Language in Singing. The Vocal section also includes classes for Novice, Sacred and Spiritual, Pop, Folk Songs, Disney, Recital and Choirs. In Instrumental we have Strings, Woodwind and Brass, including an Electronic Keyboard section, and Traditional Music from any Country played on any traditional instrument. Music also has a specialist Classical Guitar section which includes Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele and Mandolin classes.

Composition Classes

Do look at our Solo Composition Classes for Guitar, Voice or for any instrument and enjoy composing your own music!

Speech & Drama

We have classes for Solo, Duo and Group work in many disciplines. The Novice classes cover Verse and Acting. Once won, performers must return to the Open Section. We also have Shakespeare Performance, Memorised Prose, Public Speaking, Mime, Prose Reading including Television News Reading where entrants can be filmed to present the news. NEW THIS YEAR is the return of the Duo-Verse Class by popular request. Do also see our Group Themed Mime Class where masks and props can be used which have never been included in mime before.

Musical Theatre

Taking place alongside Speech & Drama we offer Solo, Duo and Group Classes. Entrants can share their musical skills combining singing, acting and choreography.

Competitions

If you enjoy composing, do enter our Poetry Competition for all ages and our Radio Script Writing Competition. The winning play will be performed and broadcast on local radio. Entries via our Online Entry System. Closing Date: 30th October 2024.

Highlights Concert

The Festival culminates with a Highlights Concert, which will take place the February following the Festival and will showcase outstanding performers who are invited to return and perform their work with an audience of family, friends and local dignitaries.

Invitation to advertise

Would you like to advertise your organisation with us?

Every year, the Royal Wootton Bassett Festival welcomes over 1000 performers to the town to take part in our competitive festival of the Arts, covering Dance, Speech & Drama and Music. The festival runs over three weekends in November. Our syllabus is an A5 booklet containing information about the festival, which is published in the Spring. It is viewed by hundreds of entrants and their teachers, either in booklet form or on our website. Our Programme is also an A5 booklet and is produced in November. It is sold to those attending the festival.

We offer the following advertising spaces:

Half page – £30 (landscape orientation)

Full page £60 (portrait orientation)

Or would you be interested in sponsoring a trophy for our festival?

If you are interested or if you have any questions, please contact Jackie Petrie, Advertising & Sponsorship Officer: j.petrie@rwbaf.onmicrosoft.com or 07938 983979