The UK’s only free beach festival has announced its line-up with award-winning performers and one of the country’s finest comedians set to take centre stage.
Spanning music, art and culture, comedy, science and much more, First Light Festival will return to Lowestoft in June this year, with tens of thousands of people set to flock to the free event on the town's South Beach.
After records tumbled and more than 40,000 people attended First Light Festival 2023 organisers First Light CIC have announced that female-led talent will headline the acts at this year's festival that is held across Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23.
A festival spokesman said: "This year sees First Light shine a light and showcase a programme of incredible female-led talent including headliners, DJ and broadcaster Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy, one of the country’s finest comedians Shaparak Khorsandi and award-winning poet Hollie McNish."
Something for everyone
Kicking off the 2024 festival will be First Light’s Resonance! opening parade - stretching from the East Point Pavilion to the main stage on the beach - as the Hackney Colliery Band, The Marina Samba Band, schools and community groups process along the prom to open the festival.
Running from noon to sundown (9.30pm) on Saturday, and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, a Dawn sunrise programme will run from 3.30am on the Sunday morning.
Additional Saturday late-night events will take the celebration across town - with The Seagull Theatre in Pakefield hosting comedian Shaparak Khorsandi, a silent disco will be held at East Point Pavilion, Jazz Unlimited hits the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club and Mossy’s nightclub hosts a Coco Maria Afterparty.
First Light's dawn programme will salute the sun with daybreak yoga, new music by Alex Groves and a first ever Balearic Breakfast music and feasting experience.
Music on the Sunlight Stage will be headlined by DJ Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy - a pioneer of the resurgence of vinyl.
Rotterdam-based band Another Taste will close the first day of the festival’s main stage programme.
Other acts to perform includes Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble, Mexican born DJ Coco Maria, Young Gun Silver Fox, Slambovian Circus of Dreams, the Hackney Colliery Band, Karma Sheen and Amaraterra.
A female-led line-up of formidable DJ talents will all play in the Dunes stage, while the New Dawn project will see musical talent aged 14 to 25 from across the region performing over the solstice weekend on the New Dawn Stage and at the East Point Pavilion, with a chosen act on the Sunlight Stage.
This year's Playbreak headline act and recipient of a Latitude performance opportunity is Cam T.
Award-winning poet, writer, performer and bestselling author Hollie McNish will headline the First Word tent, which includes Elf Lyons, Raymond Antrobus, Jay Mitra, NCW with Daljit Nagra and Luke Wright.
With kids zones, wellbeing, Wild Beach Camping and much more for full programme timings and details on all ticketed events are available online.
'See you on the beach!'
Genevieve Christie, CEO of First Light Festival CIC, said: "We’re very excited to be back on Lowestoft’s South Beach this June, to celebrate the Midsummer with another packed programme inspired by our unique most easterly location.
"We look forward to welcoming everyone to this year’s festival and encourage you all to get involved – see you on the beach!"
Toby Hammond, East Suffolk council’s cabinet member for economic development, said: "The festival is one of the country's great artistic and cultural events and goes from strength to strength every year.
"With so many people coming to Lowestoft, and even the region, for the first time, it single-handedly makes an incredible contribution to the local tourism economy, helping to showcase the area and its unique beauty.
"We can't wait for this year's event and the opportunity to welcome thousands of people to our beautiful beaches and seafront.
"It's going to be yet another amazing and memorable weekend."
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