Thousands Turn Out To Enjoy New Brighton Seaside Festival

Challenging weather conditions didn't damper the spirits of the inaugural New Brighton Seaside Festival at the weekend, with thousands turning out on the Wirral coast to enjoy this new event.

Organisers Orb Events were keen to create a seaside festival of music, food, live entertainment over the three days of the Spring Bank Holiday - all centred round some good old-fashioned family fun. And they did just that, transforming the town into one huge seaside extravaganza.

The event hub was centred round Fort Perch Rock on the Wirral coastline at New Brighton, where families of all ages flocked from Saturday to Monday (27 to 29 May) - with many taking along their four-legged friends to enjoy the outdoor event.

The little ones had plenty to keep them entertained with interactive activities, vintage fun fair, puppet shows, and a doggy fancy dress competition!

Music was covered by many genres, from buoyant sea shanty choruses to local bands - and everything between including shanty and folk trio Button Street Badger Band; Liverpool group The Ship Builders; alt-pop songstress Eleanor Nelly; Sing Me Merseyside Choir; Elfin Bow; and New Brighton favourite, the fantastic Marc Kenny.

Food and drink played a big part with the best local producers and regional street food being showcased alongside a Chef's Theatre at Fort Perch Rock; Comedy Cook Off between renowned chef Adam Franklin and Scouse comedian BrenDan Riley; Food Forage Challenge; as well as chef demonstrations from some of the Wirral's top culinary masters.

Orb Events are the team behind some of Liverpool City Region's largest and unique events including Kidsfest, Liverpool Pride and Brazilica. And inspired by past successes such as 'Farm Feast' and the award-winning 'Liverpool Loves', Orb Events created a dynamic family feel festival to celebrate the hidden charm, culture and heritage of New Brighton.

Festival Director Debbie Boyd explained: "The vision behind the New Brighton Seaside Festival was to create a new family friendly event, in a location renowned for making so many magical memories across so many generations, through a fresh and invigorating programme of entertainment and fun activities offering value for money.

"After attracting thousands of visitors for a fantastic opening day on the Saturday, we could not have predicted the adverse weather conditions which subsequently devastated parts of the event site and curtailed some activities. The Orb team worked tirelessly on Sunday to ensure the site was safe to reopen on Sunday, albeit slightly later. We didn't want to disappoint visitors so we moved as much as we could to inside spaces so the festival could continue. We thank everyone for their support and patience over the weekend."

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