WHAT’S ON AT WINTER FAF 2026
A full line up of everything at WINTER FAF
WORLDBEATERS MUSIC - SPARK!
6.00pm (in parade) • 8.20pm (45mins)
Spark! is an energetic street theatre show that combines high impact drumming with kaleidoscopic lighting design. Watch playful characters as they use captivating and dramatic percussion to interact with the crowd and lead spectators on a spellbinding, rhythmic and illuminated journey!
ARTIZANI - ILLUMINATED LOBSTER Á LA CART
5.00pm • 6.00pm (in parade) • 7.30pm (30 mins each)
Witness the largest Illuminated Giant Lobster in the universe. A truly arresting sight as it rumbles towards you - filling your field of vision and ticking you with its tentacles. Lobster à la Cart is a huge hit with audiences all over the world and it will surely delight you as it lollops and flops it’s way through the streets of Brightlingsea!
THE URBAN FOX CIRCUS - LED HULA HOOPING
5.40pm • 6.45pm • 8.15pm
Look out for the incredible hula hooping skills of the Urban Fox Circus as they pilot multiple illuminated hula hoops into a magical display of colours, light and blurred rings!
THE WINTER FAF PARADE
6.00pm (30-45 mins)
Make sure you catch the beautiful Winter FAF parade! Featuring many of the acts, lantern workshop participants (see below) and various local community groups. It will be an extravaganza of lights, music and illuminated spectacle!
(The parade will loop around Victoria Place, so there will be plenty of vantage points to enjoy the parade. But you’ll probably hear it first before you see it!)
BOSI - BANK OF SMILES INNIT
Throughout the evening
The Bank of Smiles INNIT is a citizen science experiment exploring whether smiles can become a shared social currency. Through playful provocations like the Fart-Lighting Machine, donate your consenting smiling selfie to build datasets that imagine an economy measured by wellbeing and human health, not GDP alone.
El CARRAMATO - BIG DANCERS
6.00pm (in parade) • 8.00pm (20mins)
Big Dancers is a musical street performance featuring an ensemble of mesmerising giant illuminated puppets with synchronised music and lighting. Tall characters get seriously funky in their colourful costumes of lights, flooding the streets with ‘electro-energy’, creating a street party for everyone, inviting you to warm your toes and wave your arms. An act that will surely make you want to dance your way through the streets!
CIRCO RUM BA BA - THE LIGHT GLIDERS
5.15pm • 6.45pm • 8.45pm (30 mins each)
Get ready to spin the night away with the Light Gliders as they light up the town with their choreographed colour changing lights, magically turning around the audience, dancing between them; a mixture of ballet dancers and sprites. The Light Gliders are tiny, only four feet high and audiences delight in spinning them round then letting them go to whizz off at speed!
CIRCADIAN - HEART BEATS
6.00pm (in parade) • 7.15pm (45mins)
A joyful roaming disco extravaganza! Heart Beats is a comedy DJ booth that will get the party started everywhere it arrives!
Piloted by two intergalactic DJ’s & with its larger than life DISCO MIRROR HEART & lighting rig, they’ll play all your classic disco bangers with added live percussion! Heart Beats is sure to make you move whilst putting a big grin on your face!
BEDLAM OZ - THE SLINKIES
5.30pm • 7.00pm • 8.45pm (30 mins each)
Look out for The Slinkies as we let them loose in Brightlingsea! The Slinkies are loaded with fun as they coil and stretch their way through the crowds, bursting with comic energy and mischief.
These wondrous giant springs are a FAF favourite, and if you haven’t seen them before, then you are bound to be captivated by their silliness and playfulness!
ROAD CLOSURE INFO
On Saturday 28th Feb, there will be road closures from 2.00pm - 10.30pm in Brightlingsea Town for the festival.
Alternative general public routes:
Those entering Brightlingsea from John Street will still be able to go down the High Street and then go down Tower Road or Sydney Street to reach lower Brightlingsea (Francis Street).
Those entering Brightlingsea from Ladysmith Avenue will be able to go down East Street to reach the lower Brightlingsea area.
87 bus service re-route:
It will follow its normal route to Bellfield Avenue and then avoid Chapel Road, Hurst Green, High Street and Victoria Place. It should terminate in the area around The Railway Tavern and start from the Station Road bus stop.
For any passengers wishing to board the bus in Brightlingsea, please go to the stops before Chapel Road or after Victoria Place.
AROUND THE FESTIVAL
There’ll be plenty to see and do, including live music from Colchester cover band JamJar, spanning everything from 60s classics through to modern chart and party favourites.
5.00 pm (1hr) • 9.00pm (30 mins)
We’ll also have live performances from local community groups Bright Stars Youth Theatre and Donovan's Academy of Dance & Theatre Arts.
7.15pm (15 mins)
There’ll be plenty of stalls to browse too, from local businesses and charities, to artisans and makers.
You’ll also find food and drink stalls to give you plenty of energy for an evening of silliness!
And for the first time, The FAF Bar will be open, serving you classic winter warmers such as mulled wine, hot chocolate and other tasty treats.
We’ll have brand new merch, including tote bags, t-shirts and beanie hats to keep your noggins warm! Every sale goes directly toward supporting future festivals, so show your love for FAF and grab some exclusive limited edition merch when you arrive!
Whatever you get up to at Winter FAF this year, we hope you have a fantastically fun and silly evening!
ADDITIONAL INFO
Winter FAF is a family friendly festival and is suitable for all ages.
Stop by on the evening at festival HQ and pick up your handy festival schedule so you don’t miss a thing!
The entire festival site is ground-level for easy access.
Food and drink will be available on site.
Public toilets are within easy walking distance of the festival area. (Station Road)
Free Parking is available around the town.
