THE Creative culture of Southend is to be celebrated during a festival spanning two months.

Heads of art and media organisations have met as plans get underway for Southend Festival Five, the fifth Southend Media and Creative Arts Festival.

This annual event has become a major way of celebrating the dynamic and diverse art and media community in the town.

This year to runs through May and June.

It began five years ago as a showcase for students at South East Essex College but has grown to now include professional work.

Michael Upton, head of marketing and communications at the Luker Road college says: "It annoys me when people ask when is Southend going to become a cultural hub.

"Southend isn't going to become a cultural hub at some mysterious point in the future, it already is and it's growing through collaborations like the Southend Media and Creative Arts Festival.

"The festival celebrates our vibrant and creative culture and brings together professionals and students.

"It has cemented its position in the town's annual calendar of events."

Last year saw 30 events take place across 12 venues and organisers say this year will be even bigger.

Working together to cater for the artists, actors, writers, poets, painters, film makers and more, who work and live in Southend, will be South East Essex College, Southend's Cliffs Pavilion and Palace Theatre, Sundown, Southend Library, Focal Point Gallery and Leigh Film Society.

Between them they will be hosting exhibitions, live music events, open mic poetry sessions, a fashion show, film screenings, talks, stage productions and workshops.

A Southend Art Crawl is also planned, with ten local bars and clubs exhibiting work by local professional artists.

Paul Driscoll, marketing manager at the Cliffs Pavilion, says: "The important thing this festival illustrates is that there is so much going on in the creative arts it's not just, as in our case, a theatre or a photo exhibition but there are hundreds of things going on.

"It helps that for that brief period of time it alerts to all the local residents and potential visitors the huge variety that there is and that can only be good for everyone involved and Southend as a whole."