THE boss of a family friendly festival in Colchester has praised a band which is returning to the city for its next edition.
ALB Festival will return to Lower Castle Park on September 12 and September 13 in 2026.
The event is run by The ALB, formerly known at the Anti Loo Roll Brigade, a community group set up in the Covid pandemic, and has a presence in the Stanway Lakelands Centre.
This year’s edition saw headliner Sophie Ellis-Bextor take to the stage, alongside performances from artists such as Pixie Lott, Bez from Happy Mondays, and Tinchy Stryder.
Peter Dutch, who runs the ALB and festival, has spoken to the Gazette on what it means to have pop group Scouting For Girls return to the event after their last appearance in 2021.
He said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have Scouting For Girls at the festival.
“We actually had them at our first ever festival, they turned it into such a good party, we decided to carry on and do it every year.
“So they are partly responsible for us carrying on doing it.
“They were amazing, they are one of the best festival bands on the circuit and they deliver every time.
“They really fit into our ethos of fun and partying.
“So far, we’ve announced Scouting For Girls, and the Rick Parfitt Jnr band which are just phenomenal and anyone who has been to the ALB Festival will concur they are probably one of the best live bands you will ever see.”
In the Gazette’s five-star review of the opening day of this year’s edition, it was highlighted what makes the festival special is that funds from ticket sales are put back into the community.
The ALB uses the money raised to help communities throughout Colchester and to run projects which support victims of abuse, respite for carers, therapy for children, help those in need get furniture, and much more.
According to Mr Dutch, sales for ALB Festival 2026 are going well so far, he said: “Ticket sales are going really well, our best ever ticket selling day is normally the day of the festival.
"We’re really fortunate that people trust us enough now to know they can book their tickets without even knowing what acts we’ve got, safe in the knowledge that we are going to put on one awesome day out with incredible bands.
“The early-bird tickets pretty much flew out on day one of the weekend, we’ve added some more, and we’re hugely thankful for all the support we get from the community.
“It really helps us in planning the festival, it takes a lot of planning, cashflow, forecasting, and an awful lot of work.
“It’s only achievable because of the support we get from Colchester, as the people support us year after year.
“We’ve got another act lined up, ready to go, but we can’t announce it yet.”
Early bird adult weekend tickets cost £45 plus a booking fee and an early bird child ticket (4 to 17) costs £17 plus a booking fee.
You can bring your own food, drink, camping chair, and blanket into the festival; however, you are not allowed to bring in alcohol.
Any child aged zero to four can attend for free as long as they have a ticket.
To find out more, visit albfestival.com/tickets.
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