Rain certainly wasn’t enough to stop the Hillfields Community Festival 2026!
Despite a few showers throughout the day, local residents, families, community organisations, performers, volunteers and supporters came together once again in Hillfields Square for a fantastic celebration of music, culture, community and connection.
The festival was full of activities, information stalls, delicious food and live entertainment.
Live music featured an incredible line-up of local talent and Hillz FM DJs. Residents enjoyed performances from Hillz FM Local Artist Chart No.1 IcyDaRabbit, the energetic VOTT Choir, a contemporary community choir that brought plenty of energy to the stage with lively renditions of classic hits, as well as sets from Hillz FM presenters Fonso Black, presenter of The Reggae Fusion Show airing every Wednesday from 12pm to 2pm, DJ Liney, host of Shovel Up The Heat broadcasting every Friday from 2pm to 4pm, and Eddie Goodtimes, presenter of Now For Something Completely Different and Forever Ever Backwards Never who you can catch on Friday evenings 8-10pm exclusively on Hillz 98.6FM. Eddie also kept the day running smoothly as MC before bringing the festival to a close with a fantastic DJ set of his own.
Residents also enjoyed a fantastic selection of food, with delicious African cuisine provided by Aji. Favourites on the day included puff-puffs, chicken and rice, samosas and an amazing chickpea curry.
Alongside the entertainment, a wide range of local organisations and services were on hand to meet residents and share information about the support available across Coventry. A huge thank you to:
• Grapevine and their Connecting for Good programme, supporting local people to take action, build relationships and strengthen their communities through community organising.
• Family Hubs (Harmony Hub), offering information, advice and support for families, parents, carers, children and young people.
• Warm Homes Hillfields, helping residents access support to improve energy efficiency, make their homes warmer and reduce energy costs.
• Healthwatch Coventry, providing independent information and support to help residents understand and improve local health and social care services.
• Warwick Arts Centre, sharing opportunities for local people to get involved in arts, culture, creative projects and community activities across Coventry.
• Coventry Library Services, promoting the wide range of free resources, learning opportunities and community services available through local libraries.
• Coventry Community Energy Champions, led by the amazing Alex with support from Hani and a fantastic team of volunteers, providing practical advice to help residents save energy, reduce bills and access support available to them.
• Bike for Life, who refurbish bicycles, provide cycle training and create opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy cycling.
• WATCH’s Digital Divide Project, led by James, helping residents get online through digital skills support, devices, connectivity and access to essential online services.
These organisations play an important role in our community, and it was wonderful to see so many meaningful conversations taking place throughout the day.
The festival also marked the launch of our brand new Young Hillz T-shirt, now available to purchase for £15. The design was created by Serena, aged 14, a talented local young person involved with our Young Hillz youth project. We are incredibly proud to showcase young people’s creativity in this way, and every purchase helps support Hillz FM and our ongoing community and youth work.
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the Hillz FM volunteers and WATCH Charity staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes before, during and after the event to make everything run smoothly.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who came along on Saturday. Whether you performed, volunteered, ran a stall, supported a local organisation or simply stopped by to enjoy the atmosphere, your support helped make the day so special!
A massive thank you also goes to Lèna-Awa Sall for capturing the day through her fantastic photography. Take a look through the photo galleries for some of the highlights from the day.
We can’t wait to see you at the next Hillfields Community Festival!
