abstract: A free festival of music, entertainment and dance for older people and their friends and relatives was staged in London last month and featured the UK's oldest established steel band, Nostalgia, greatest hits from the tribute band Buddy Holly & The Cricketers, and dance and movement from the Lilian Baylis over-60s Performance Group. The Capital Age Festival, now in its second year, also featured Cruel Sea, a film installation project that explored the experience of Merchant Navy veterans from across the Commonwealth who served in the Second World War.