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What does a free beach festival do for a town?

Zoie O'Brien,in Lowestoftand
Alice Cunningham,Suffolk
BBC South Beach in Lowestoft. The picture has been taken overlooking the beach over the top of the blue beach huts which are in the foreground of the picture. On the beach there are colourful flags stretching high in the sky and there are crowds of people scattered across the beach. The picture has been taken on a sunny day and the sky is blue. A gull is mid-flight flying across the picture.BBC
The First Light Festival returns to Lowestoft on Saturday

Tens of thousands of people will descend on a coastal town for the UK's only free beach festival at the weekend.

This year marks the sixth instalment of the First Light Festival in Lowestoft, the UK's most easterly town, which celebrates the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

With an extensive programme filled with music, dance, storytelling, art and more, the festival draws in thousands each year, bringing wider benefits for the whole town.

Danny Steel, chairman of Lowestoft Vision business improvement district, said the festival was "massive" for the town.

"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," he explained.

"So it's massive for the town, but it's not just about the money coming in, it's about our place, Lowestoft is our place.

"It's a huge cultural and artistic festival and it just shows us in the right light."

Jamie Niblock/BBC A man with grey hair wearing a light blue suit with a white shirt smiles at the camera. He is standing front of a High Street shop.Jamie Niblock/BBC
Danny Steel from Lowestoft Vision said the festival brought huge benefits to the town

Steel added that people attending the festival from afar would often come back to enjoy Lowestoft at other times of the year.

He said he felt that generally the town was seeing vast improvements, including the introduction of the Cultural Quarter, a partnership between the First Light Festival and East Suffolk Council to introduce new creative spaces and venues.

Jamie Niblock/BBC A woman with blonde hair that has been tied back smiles at the camera. She is standing in front of a cafe with a green front. She wears a light green long sleeved top. Jamie Niblock/BBC
Natalie Annis hoped the festival would attract customers to her new cafe

Natalie Annis is the owner of Oliver's Way cafe in the town, which opened about a month ago.

She was hopeful the festival would draw business her way.

"I think it brings that hype and it brings everybody together," she said of the festival.

"It reminds me of being a child and the air show and that excitement so I do think it's good for local businesses as well and, independent businesses that can set up on the beach and things.

"It's a brilliant idea for the town, definitely."

Oliver's Way offers a calm space for those with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) to enjoy.

Annis said with festivals sometimes being noisy, some families attending at the weekend might be able to enjoy her cafe.

Jamie Niblock/BBC A woman with short, curly grey hair stands on a beach as a festival is beginning to be set up. She is laughing and looking away from the camera. A large tent with a stage is being erected behind her.Jamie Niblock/BBC
Genevieve Christie, who is in charge of the festival, said she worked to help raise the profile of Lowestoft

Genevieve Christie is the chief executive officer of the First Light Festival.

She said the festival offered people the chance to "experience things in real life" with friends and family.

"It's an antidote in a way to a lot of what the rest of our lives are like," she explained.

"It's about coming together - and really enjoying - culture, creativity, but also community, being together."

She added: "All of our work is about raising the profile of Lowestoft, actually as a place to come on holiday, to be a tourist.

"And that will feed in even more in the future to the work that we will be doing in the town.

"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."

Jamie Niblock/BBC Large tents are erected on a beach. People work on the site and there is some heavy machinery to help manoeuvre equipment.Jamie Niblock/BBC
Work was under way on Thursday to prepare the beach for the festival
Richard Knights/BBC Colourful flags of pink, yellow, orange and blue have been placed in a line across the seafront of the beach and are flying in the wind. There are people on the beach sitting down with chairs and tents and people walking. Richard Knights/BBC
The First Light Festival will celebrate the summer solstice on South Beach on 20 and 21 June

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