Thousands set to attend new beach festival

A new music festival featuring a day of noughties nostalgia is starting this weekend.

Summer Fest on the Beach is coming to Weston-super-Mare with acts including Craig David, Sister Sledge, Dizzee Rascal and Blue performing.

Festival director Ian Rogers said that about 35,000 people are expected to attend despite heavy rain forecast over the weekend.

Rogers said: "We want to see as many people there as possible to see it and future proof it. It's a £3.5m investment to put the event on so we really want people to see how good it is for Weston and the surrounding areas."

On Friday, there will be a live orchestra playing Ibiza classics from the 90s and 2000s, alongside some of the original vocalists.

Other acts on Saturday include Five, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Feeder, while Sunday's headliners are Madness, who will come after Sister Sledge, Razorlight, The Feeling, and others.

The event is a nod to T4 on the beach, which drew tens of thousands of people to Weston-super-Mare over a seven-year period, but the event folded in 2013 due to a shortage of ticket sales.

Rogers added: "We saw how much nostalgia people had for T4 on the beach, that's why we went down that road to give people that walk down memory lane."

He accepted that Saturday's gloomy forecast had impacted sales.

"We can only deal with the cards that we're dealt," he said.

"People are going to have to dress accordingly. Music festivals are synonymous with having to adapt to the weather.

"More people buy tickets when they know it's going to be sunny," he added.

"You would usually see a 30% uptick in sales in the last week and we haven't really seen that."

Some links to free tickets ended up online, but Rogers said these were given to events partners not the general public.

A North Somerset Council spokesperson said the authority has planned for thousands of festival-goers visiting the town.

"This will no doubt lead to an increased footfall in our shops and high street, benefit local businesses and accommodation providers whilst also supporting local supply chains and employment.

"We've worked carefully with the organiser to ensure the effects of the event are kept to a minimum including promoting public transport, a park and ride facility and dedicated car parking," they added.

Doors opened at 15:00 BST on Friday, with a variety of themed bars, street food from around the world, funfair, stalls, and face painting.

Over the weekend, the festival opens from 11:00 and finishes at 22:30 on Saturday.

On top of public car parks, there is limited, on-site parking that you can book online as well as a park and ride.

Extra trains are being put on back to Bristol, which will run later than usual until 23:30.

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