A celebration of art in all its form: How the revival of the Warwick Student Arts Festival brought a summer of joy to campus

The presence of the Warwick Student Arts Festival has become a mystical fable throughout the drama and tech crew communities of the University of Warwick. From whispered rumours of its initial existence between 2004 to 2015, to discussions on Tech Crew group chats, the current cohorts of drama students saw this elusive festival as something that needed a modern revival. Maximus Kaius Leighton and Adam Skrzymowski were some of the pioneers behind this decision, seeing the Warwick Student Arts Festival (WSAF) return to various stages throughout campus in the Summer of 2024. Not just that, but with a modern edge seen to mirror the likes of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with all its dramatic charm.  

Adam, a member of the Warwick Tech Crew scene, initially saw mentions of WSAF in the early 2000s from various group chats, where the roster of talent created a tempting desire for a revival. After WSAF disappeared into the ether of Warwick’s past, Adam worried that they could “not match the energy of the original project” and spent hours upon hours wondering why this festival had never returned.  

Having brought his original music to the festival, Maximus states that his “friend brings a lucky beer bottle from his WSAF performance to every gig he has performed going forward”

There was a need to find great talent, great events and also great spaces throughout campus. With that, also a need to organise a fully functioning festival that would draw arts enthusiasts from the slump of exams into the FAB to join in on these festivities. “We wanted to make it the biggest event of the third term”, remarked Maximus, and somehow “reinvent the wheel” of how performances were displayed throughout the university.  

After scheduling, various administrative crises, and work equivalent to a ‘”full time job”, WSAF found its resurgence in the Summer of 2024. From original plays, documentaries, arts, and crafts to even folk music playing into the sunset, the beauty of WSAF’s return found inspiration in myriad art forms. 

In the interview, Maximus reminisced about the exhilarating joy of WSAF’s return, retelling the story of a friend and fellow performer. Having brought his original music to the festival, Maximus states that his “friend brings a lucky beer bottle from his WSAF performance to every gig he has performed going forward”, hoping that this memento will bring the luck he once found at WSAF to every show he performs in the future. These memories encapsulate the liveliness of WSAF, both past and present, with Adam finding enjoyment in remembering with alumni about how inspiring the original form of the festival once was, and how exciting the future will be. 

Both Maximus and Adam stated that anyone with an experimental desire to display their art, in whatever form it takes, would be welcome to take part

When asked how WSAF would look in 60 years’ time, Adam and Maximus looked at each other with uncertainty. Whilst unsure whether the festival will exist in the perhaps dystopian world of 2085, they hoped that “in 60 years, everyone will be excited for the festival, and all the arts and music that will be performed”.  

“I hope that WSAF runs through the fibres of campus, starting parades of music that draw people out of their seminars and into the Piazza”, Maximus confided, overjoyed at the prospect of the new form of the festival to exist so far into the future. Both Maximus and Adam stated that anyone with an experimental desire to display their art, in whatever form it takes, would be welcome to take part, hoping to embed this community spirit into the world of arts at Warwick. 

Exclusive to the Boar Magazine, the Warwick Student Arts Festival will be returning to Warwick in June 2025, with all the excitement and love of the arts that the festival has brought throughout its history.