Image: Rik Ward – Instagram: rikwardphotoart

July’s Bromley Arts Festival has begun. Officially it started on 1st July with comedy (Bridge House Theatre), art (Bethlem Gallery), musical (Churchill Theatre), and drama (Theatre 62 and Bromley Little Theatre). Much more will follow across the entire month of July.

Less public, was a launch event on 23rd June, at Ripley Arts Centre, featuring speeches from Sir Bob Neill MP, Mayor of Bromley Cllr Hannah Gray, actor Rosie Tapper and actor/director Freya Collins, plus performances from Magpie Dance, Shortlands Poetry Circle, Skylark School of Dance, and singer Scott Davies.

The festival is already raising the profile of arts in the borough, and as culture cannot prosper without audiences, that boost is a very important one.

Thus far, the festival has been shared by BBC Radio London’s Jumoke Fashola, wo interviewed Pauline Armour from the Bromley Little Theatre and festival Steering Committee here (the link expires after a month), the Bromley Buzz podcast and blog, Life In Bromley and Life In Orpington magazines, Startups magazine online, The Business Bunker live broadcast and podcast, The County Chronicle, and Chelsfield Village Voice, as well as in a plethora of social media and posters, window stickers, and leaflets. If anyone was in any doubt that Bromley has a strong arts scene, they can’t be now.

If you’re in Bromley, come out and enjoy your local arts events. If you’re outside Bromley, come along in and do the same thing!