This year's festival got off to a noisy start this morning, with an event in Worthing town centre. We set up camp outside the Guildbourne Centre, with Rhythm Inc leading a percussion making workshop (on a rug under a tree) while Celebration Samba and The Bamboo Band took turns to make some noise.
Celebration Samba were the best I've heard them - really tight and on the beat. And the effect of their sound bouncing off the shops around South Street Square was magnificent (even if the grumpy owner of Gladstone Bags complained that it was too loud)
The Bamboo Band followed straight on from a 20 minute samba battering, playing a really good set. Samba and calypso in the streets on a sunny Saturday - blooming marvellous what we artists do for Worthing, isn't it?
While all the noise was happening, a child-sized team provided by The Costume Fairy (with support from Naomi Clarke and a few other RAG types) dished out hundreds of Artists & Makers Festival guides and flyers.
After the launch, straight back to Thompson Towers for a last tidy and to get the flags flying. It got off to a really busy start, with people outside when I opened the door at 2pm, but it's now gone quiet. It's always like this though - and this year, there's an England match on telly to provide some extra competition.
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