1. Our Commitment to Community

Hidden Beach CIC places community at the heart of everything we do.
Our programming is designed to bring people together, celebrate local identity, and create shared experiences that strengthen social connection.

HB2026 is built with the community, for the community — spanning music, culture, food, wellness, family activities, learning and celebration across the whole month.

We believe culture should be:

• joyful
• inclusive
• accessible
• intergenerational
• locally rooted
• globally aware

Every part of HB2026 reflects this ethos.

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2. Public Benefit & Community Impact

Our work aims to create meaningful public benefit across Hastings. HB2026 will:

• Activate public spaces for free and low-cost cultural participation
• Offer workshops for families, young people and adults
• Support community wellbeing through creative and wellness activities
• Bring diverse communities together through shared cultural experiences
• Increase footfall to local venues, businesses and neighbourhoods
• Contribute to social cohesion and community pride

We work closely with partners, residents, artists and local groups to ensure activities meet real community needs.

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3. Inclusion & Representation

Hastings is a culturally diverse town with rich global and local connections.
HB2026 celebrates this by programming artists, workshops, activities and cultural experiences that reflect:

• global music traditions
• diaspora communities
• Black British sound system heritage
• diverse culinary cultures
• multigenerational creative practices
• voices and artists often underrepresented in mainstream arts spaces

We ensure our creative decisions are inclusive, representative and responsive to the people of Hastings.

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4. Accessibility & Participation

We believe that everyone should be able to participate in culture without barriers.

HB2026 includes:

 Free and low-cost events

Accessible sessions across workshops, kids activities and public spaces.

 Varied formats

Indoor/outdoor events, daytime sessions, family-friendly activities, nightlife and creative learning.

 Accessible venues

Working with partners to ensure physical, sensory and social accessibility.

 Low-barrier participation

You do not need prior experience to join — our workshops and sessions welcome absolute beginners as well as experienced creatives.

 Community-led involvement

Local people shape, contribute to and lead parts of the HB programme.

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5. Engaging Audiences Across Hastings

HB2026 aims to reach:

• families
• young people
• older residents
• diverse cultural communities
• artists and musicians
• new audiences with limited access to the arts
• visitors to the town
• people who may not usually attend cultural events

Our approach includes:

• partnerships with local organisations
• outreach to community groups
• multi-venue programming across the town
• inclusive marketing and communication
• events in public and free-to-access spaces

We want HB2026 to feel like everyone’s festival.

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6. Our Community Promise

We commit to:

• programming that reflects Hastings
• welcoming and inclusive environments
• continuous dialogue with residents and participants
• building skills and confidence through creative activity
• long-term cultural opportunity beyond HB2026

Hidden Beach aims not only to deliver events, but to create lasting change in how people connect with culture, creativity and each other