The first event to take place on the Place St Maur since the end of its £1.5 million redevelopment, the festival took place over Saturday and Sunday, featuring international acts like Rowetta and Nigel Clarke, as well as more local fare like The Hattie Band and Melissa Fel.
The food was equally diverse. Punters chowed down on seafood paellas from Tapas Culture, halloumi wraps from Hallouminati, Indian street food from Cafe Punjab and much more – often to rave reviews.
“I think this is a great idea,” Gehaan Thorp, who holidays in Bognor Regis with her family, said. “I love the area, I think it’s beautiful and, on a sunny day, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. We need more things like this: More tourism, more events. It’s great.”
Fountains, which were added to the Place St Maur during the development, were a similarly big part of the fun: thronged by children as bands swapped place onstage.
Despite the controversy which defined the Place St Maur’s initial unveiling several weeks ago, the tone during TASTE! was largely positive: “It’s great. Things like this seem to be popping up everywhere, and they’re so great for kids,” said James Thorp
His partner Gehaan added: “We live in London, and there are a lot of them around – they save your life in the summertime.”
Organised by the Bognor Regis Business Improvement District (BID) in tandem with Arun District Council, TASTE! was at least partially about renewing the town’s image and continuing to drive tourism in the area. In that regard, council leader Shaun Gunner (con) sees the event as an emphatic success.
"Isn’t it fantastic to see all these hundreds, even thousands of people coming through Bognor? Often people have an outdated, cliched view of what the town looks like. This – artists and singers performing to hundreds of people while they eat churros and paella – is what Bognor looks like. There’s a fantastic sense of vibrancy and community here.”
DJ and event programmer Pete Wheeler added: “We’re really happy. We’ve had great feedback, and loads of people have been coming up to us to say they’re loving the music, the food, the atmosphere. Everyone was loving it.”
See below for all our best photos, taken by Steve Robards and Luke Farley.
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1. Stars of the stage
Performers Becca Huggett and Tom Woodruff between performances. Photo: Luke Farley Photo: Luke Farley
2. Rowetta Rocks
Rowetta, who finished fourth in the 2004 series of the X-Factor, headline Saturday's event. Photo: Steve Robards sr2208205 Photo: S Robards
3. Taste! Bognor Regis.
Taste! Bognor Regis. Pic S Robards SR2208205 Photo: S Robards
4. Tucking in
A visitor tucks into some lunch. Pic S Robards SR2208205 Photo: S Robards