Funding Delay Halts Arts Fresco For A Year
Written by HFM News on 14th July 2026
One of Market Harborough’s best-loved events is taking a break this year after a delay in funding left organisers with too little time to prepare.
The Arts Fresco free street theatre festival will not take place this September, with organisers now aiming to return “bigger and stronger” in 2027.
The volunteer organising committee says the decision follows ongoing funding challenges, after its main funder, Arts Council England, did not release funding for last year’s festival until April this year, forcing organisers to rely on their reserves to cover the event’s costs.
Neil Kitson, chair of the volunteer organising committee, said taking a year off was a difficult but necessary decision:
Arts Fresco 2025 in Market Harborough
Neil added the break would allow organisers to plan properly, strengthen funding arrangements and ensure the festival returns at the standard audiences have come to expect.
Arts Fresco has been a fixture in Market Harborough since 2002, attracting thousands of visitors and bringing street theatre performers from across the UK and Europe to the town centre, alongside community acts.
Organisers say they remain committed to bringing the eventback in 2027 with another programme of high-quality street theatre and community entertainment.
