A FREE UK beach festival dubbed a “giant family playground” returns this weekend to an iconic seaside town.
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the beachfront to enjoy a programme of live music and workshops.
A huge, free beach festival is set to return this weekend (June 20 to June 21) with tens of thousands of visitors expected to attend.
The First Light Festival takes place annually in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and features more than 200 performances across 24 stages.
The creative festival also offers visitors a wide-ranging programme of workshops, wellbeing sessions, crafting, dance, science, storytelling and family adventures for a fun-filled weekend.
Taking place over the summer solstice, the festival is a celebration of the first sunrise of midsummer.
This year, visitors will be able to attend a “special Indian Sunrise raga” at dawn on Sunday, June 21.
The festival covers an expansive area of the South Beach, spreading along the seafront, promenade and nearby Kensington Gardens and East Point Pavilion.
Converting the seafront into a “giant family playground”, festival-goers will enjoy events such as dance parties, science discoveries and circus skills workshops.
There are also camping options for those looking to stay overnight, including a glamping experience in well-equipped campervans.
Visitors are able to enter the First Light Festival for free and without a ticket.
However, after 9.30 pm, any festival-goers looking to attend one of the Sundown Events happening on Saturday night after the free programme of beach events ends will need to purchase a ticket.
The festivities began on Friday, June 19, with a selection of live theatre and music events to kick off the celebrations, and there are many more activities to get involved in as the weekend progresses.
A huge Big Bang Boogie parade takes place on Saturday, June 20, starting at the East Point Pavilion at 11 am and travelling along the seafront towards the main Sunlight Stage.
Other activities include a grounded movement ring, rocketry experience, and a traditional Punch and Judy show.
Visitors can also explore a selection of dance workshops, aerial displays and even get to see objects from the Natural History Museum.
Returning for its sixth year, the festival also has a huge impact on the town itself.
Chairman of Lowestoft Vision business improvement district, Danny Steel, told the BBC that the midsummer festival was “massive” for Lowestoft.
He explained: “We get about 30,000 people come to the First Light Festival over the weekend, and if all of those people spend £35 in Lowestoft, that’s £1m extra into the Lowestoft economy.”
Chief executive officer of the First Light Festival, Genevieve Christie, said the festival is about “coming together” as a community and gives people the chance to “experience things in real life”.
The festival also aims to put Lowestoft on the map as a holiday destination.
She explained: “All of our work is about raising the profile of Lowestoft, actually as a place to come on holiday, to be a tourist.
“We’ll be looking forward to 2028, when we’ll be operating the new cultural centre in Lowestoft, and our whole idea there is to bring the spirit of the festival into the town.”