Celebrating the Creative Heart of Reigate
A great place is about much more than its buildings. It’s the people, the community and the things that happen there that bring it to life.
That’s why we’re delighted to support Reigate Summer Festival. It’s a chance to celebrate the wealth of creative talent we have right here in Reigate – and it’s good fun too!
From New Music Fest to Reigate Summer Festival
Our connection with the festival goes back many years. Reigate Architects have long supported and sponsored New Music Nights and its annual New Music Fest, which brought original live music to venues around the town.
In 2024, New Music Nights and Reigate College took things a step further and launched Reigate Summer Festival. Today, with support from Reigate Business Guild – of which we’re long-standing members – Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, local organisations and a vast army of volunteers, the festival takes over the heart of the town for one weekend in June, each summer.
Music is still a big part of it, but there’s much more to discover. Artists, writers, performers, makers and community groups all get their moment, revealing a creative side of Reigate you may not always see.
Behind the Scenes at Reigate Summer Festival
At the festival weekend you’ll see stages, bands, performances, workshops and plenty of people enjoying themselves.
What you don’t see is everything that happens beforehand.
Months of planning go into a weekend like this. There are site layouts to consider, stages to design, permissions to obtain, performers and equipment to accommodate and, inevitably, a fair amount of problem-solving along the way.
As the weekend gets closer, a well-oiled machine of organisers and volunteers swings into action. That’s where we come in.
Reigate Architects help plan and deliver the Clocktower and Cage Yard venues, as well as designing and assisting with the delivery of the Tunnel Stage – perhaps the festival’s most unusual setting.
Designing a Stage Around Reigate Tunnel
The historic Reigate Tunnel provides a rather impressive backdrop, but it’s also a practical setting for live music.
As a pedestrian area away from the road, it creates a dedicated space where festival-goers can gather and enjoy the performances safely.
So, rather than compete with the tunnel, we designed the stage around it.
The raised platform gives local bands the experience of performing on a proper festival stage. At the same time, its position keeps the pedestrian route through the tunnel open and preserves views through this important Reigate landmark.
The scaffolding structure is practical too.
As a temporary installation within a historic structure, nothing can be fixed into or damage the tunnel. Scaffolding allows us to create the stage while working within the heritage requirements that protect it.
It may be a rather different project from the homes and buildings we usually design, but the thinking is much the same: understand the setting, work with what’s already there and consider how people will use it.
A Festival That Keeps Evolving
No two years are quite the same.
The festival continues to grow, the layout evolves and new ideas are introduced.
In turn, that creates more opportunities for local musicians, artists, performers, writers and makers to share what they do with a wider audience.
And once all the planning is finished, we don’t disappear.
During the weekend, you’ll usually find members of the Reigate Architects team at the Information Tent, helping around the stages – generally getting stuck in.
Occasionally, you’ll even find one of us (Simon) behind the DJ decks.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s also good fun.
Why We Get Involved
We’re a local architectural practice and many of the people we work with live in Reigate and the surrounding area, just as we do!
Supporting events like Reigate Summer Festival is simply part of being involved in the place where we work.
Architecture also teaches you that individual buildings don’t exist in isolation. They form part of streets, neighbourhoods and communities.
Understanding that wider context matters whether we’re designing a family extension, a new home or, occasionally, a stage in the middle of Reigate Tunnel.
We’re very happy to play our big or small part.
Discover more about Reigate Architects’ community involvement and the Tunnel Stage. Reigate Architects – Community Projects
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Reigate Summer Festival such a memorable success.
We look forward to seeing you at Reigate Summer Festival 2027.
To find out more about the festival visit https://reigatesummerfestival.co.uk/