About History

The Edge Festival is set in the beautiful (and we think very special) village of Solva. We are a village with a stunning harbour on the Pembrokeshire coast. And we are a very active village. We are known for our outdoor activities such as sailing, kayaking, swimming, rowing, walking, climbing and much more. Our widely respected charity Solva Care allow us to support the eldest in our village so they can live here. We have pubs and cafes, galleries and shops. And much more. So its natural that we also have a festival of music, arts, literature, outdoor activities and much more. The festival sprang up as a direct response to the filming of Under Milk Wood in the village of Solva in 2014, the magic and enthusiasm overwhelmed the village. So a hardy bunch of locals sought to recreate this and suddenly the Edge was born! The Edge is intended to be a celebration of the Arts, Music, Food, Sport, Literature and Film with a passion for all of these branches of the festival there really is something for everyone. Over the course of the winter months of 2014 and early 2015 the committee raised funds through a series of dining out events, this money with some part funding from Solva Community Council and working in partnership with Literature Wales saw the Edge take form. The first Edge Festival was held over 4 days in August 2015 with events throughout the village, Solva was once again a hive of bristling activity, whether you were river walking, building bush craft, swimming to the edge, enjoying some quality craft beer and cider, listening to literature, browsing our indoor market or brushing up on your filleting with our chefs demonstrations the Edge had it covered. Despite torrential rainfall our spirits weren’t dampened and the Edge went on. We owe our success to the valued support of local people and businesses and we managed to donate £4,000 of our proceeds to local charities. The Edge Festival has grown steadily over the last five years. In 2016, the Festival was listed in the Daily Telegraph’s Top 10 Things To Do In Pembrokeshire. There were successful festivals in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The 2019 Edge Festival was again very successful, with three days of great music, writers, dance, food and outdoor activities. Musical highlights included Sorted, our very own Pembrokeshire Ska band, Donna Marie, Wales’ Lady Gaga tribute, Definitely Oasis and The Marley Experience. We hosted the book launch of John Osmond’s Real Preseli among authors, poets, lectures, craft activities, dance, food and of course our Green Scar bar complete with 36 craft beers and our very own Solva Gin.