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From today, residents, artists and organisations from Waltham Forest and neighbouring boroughs are invited to be part of this year’s Walthamstow Garden Party. Opportunities to get involved are listed on http://walthamstowgarden.party/.

Taking place in Lloyd Park on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, the award-winning Walthamstow Garden Party returns for the seventh year. With over 30,000 people attending every year, the festival is brought to audiences by the Barbican, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Create London and hundreds of residents, local businesses and community groups.

Whether to perform on stage, run creative workshops or provide activities for people to take part in, applicants have until Wednesday 11 March to submit their ideas. The proposals will be chosen by local residents and each successful applicant will receive funding to be put towards delivering their performance, workshop or activity.

Applicants can submit their ideas for:

• Earthly Paradise Tent: partnering with Beatroots and Waltham Forest Music Service to select young artists aged 5–25 specialising in music, theatre, spoken word and poetry
• Art for All: an arts and crafts space for children under 7, for which applicants must submit activity or workshop ideas. Successful submissions will be selected by a panel of local children and their parents, brought together by Walthamstow Toy Library and Play Centre
• News from Nowhere: including a stage and pop-up performances across the festival, focusing on performance, dance, physical theatre, music, workshops and more. Successful applicants will be selected by a panel of four featured artists and decision-makers who successfully applied in 2019 such as Mbilla Arts CIC, DashDotDance and Dao Lu CIC. X7eaven will also be featured in the 2020 programme
• Around the Park: Applicants can submit ideas for activities or performances around Lloyd Park that promote community, creativity, sports and wellbeing and/or sustainability, as well as those that actively encourage visitors to engage with their local parks. Successful submissions will be selected by a panel made of Friends of Lloyd Park CIC members

Vicki Busfield,  local resident, artist and founder of Waltham Forest-based inclusive dance company DashDotDance, who successfully applied to run workshops at Walthamstow Garden Party in 2019 said: ‘Walthamstow Garden Party is a place for people to find out about the amazing arts scene in their local area, whether they love music, theatre, dance, crafts or poetry, people come together to share something so positive and maybe do something they wouldn’t normally do – and it’s great that it’s still free!’

With applications to get involved in Walthamstow Garden Party opening today, she stresses the importance of local artists shaping the festival that takes place on their doorstep: ‘Local artists have a real understanding of, and connection with, their borough and fellow residents. By opening up the festival to more local acts, it gives people visiting the event a chance to see and have a go at what is on offer in Waltham Forest, meaning a legacy is left behind, which can be built upon. Walthamstow Garden Party isn’t just about what happens on one summer weekend, it’s about the culture that thrives beyond it too.’

To this year’s applicants, Vicki has this advice: ‘Recognise all that you, as an artist, can bring to Walthamstow Garden Party. The festival is a place for experimentation and discovery, so don’t be afraid to do something different.’

To apply to take part this year, visit http://walthamstowgarden.party/.

In addition to the festival’s continued commitment to involving residents at all levels of decision making and creating platforms for local arts, Walthamstow Garden Party was recently commended at the A Greener Festival awards, and shortlisted for ‘Best Family Festival’ and ‘Green Festival’ at the UK Festival Awards 2019.