Exeter Respect Festival

About

Exeter Respect Festival 2022 is dedicated to Environment Justice.

Environmental justice is not just about climate change, it’s also about the biodiversity that we are all part of. Only together we make justice. Only together we can defeat prejudice, discrimination and racism. Unity is our power for peace and harmony.

Exeter Respect is the city’s annual celebration of diversity where we use the performing and creative arts to engage the wider community in saying no to racism and all forms of prejudice. The Respect ethos is a simple one: racism and prejudice often spring from fear, and fear is often based on ignorance, so let’s overcome ignorance by getting to know one another and sharing not shunning our cultures. One of the best ways to get to know someone is to enjoy yourself with them, hence our celebratory event and adoption of the old Commission for Racial Equality slogan:

All Different, All Equal!

The first Exeter Respect festival took place in 1997 and there has been a celebration virtually every year since then. From 2003 to 2008 Exeter Respect’s biggest event was at Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre, but from 2009 to the present day our focus has been a giant two day festival in Belmont Park, with a footfall of around 20,000 people every year.

After returning to the Exeter Phoenix in 2021 Exeter Respect returns to Belmont Park for 2022, we look forward to seeing you there.