Morecambe's Vintage by the Sea festival breaks all records with fantastic 50,000 visitors

Organisers of this popular event couldn’t have wished for better weather which brought back memories of Morecambe in its heyday when visitors packed the promenade, beach, pubs, cafes, shops and most iconic buildings.

An estimated 50,000 people attended this year’s event, much to the delight of co-founders, Morecambe-based art and culture company, Deco Publique and Morecambe-born designer, Wayne Hemingway.

Elena Jackson and Lauren Zawadski of Deco Publique said: “50,000 people visited Vintage by the Sea this weekend with record numbers of people experiencing the best of Morecambe Bay, alive with music, fashion and culture.

"The September sun shone and the tide was in, creating a perfect weekend filled with the joy of the seaside with shops, cafes and bars packed to the brim all the way down the Promenade."

A glistening Morecambe Bay provided the perfect backdrop for all things vintage, whether it be people dressed in their best bibs and tuckers from yesteryear, dancers jitterbugging the weekend away or a huge collection of classic cars gleaming in the sunshine and toe-tapping music from eras past.

The Vintage Mobile Cinema – the only remaining bus of its kind – returned to the festival showing old Pathe film of the former Marineland complex, just a stone’s throw from where it once entertained holidaymakers.

Having promised something for everyone, Vintage by the Sea delivered once again, whether you were a youngster watching The Wagon of Dreams and participating in one of the many family friendly workshops, a vintage enthusiast searching out the best buys at the Vintage Marketplace or those who enjoy being treated to afternoon tea at the Midland Hotel.

Nostalgia filled the warm air from vintage fairground rides and a family rave to rides aboard original Ribble buses and the mesmerising Dandyism performances on the Winter Gardens stage.

And among the new attractions was the unveiling of The People’s Bandstand, a pop-up platform commissioned by Deco Publique as a legacy project and produced by Morecambe’s Good Things Collective and friends.

In fact there was so much to see and do that the cancellation of the Spitfire flypast, owing to engine problems, didn’t spoil the fun.

“It was fantastic to see so many people in Morecambe over the weekend, said Coun Catherine Potter, Lancaster City Council’s cabinet member for tourism

“It was especially lovely to see families enjoying the various activities and entertainment on offer at the festival and local businesses such as shops and cafes, benefiting from the additional footfall.”

About Vintage by the Sea festival

Vintage by the Sea was co-founded in 2013 by Morecambe-born designer, Wayne Hemingway with Gerardine and Jack Hemingway, Hemingway Design and Morecambe-based art and culture company Deco Publique. It is produced by Deco Publique in partnership with Lancaster City Council.

Vintage by the Sea is supported with funding from Arts Council England, Lancaster City Council, Morecambe Town Council and Morecambe BID. It is sponsored by The Midland Hotel and English Lakes and Taylors Funfairs.

Wayne Hemingway MBE, Gerardine Hemingway MBE and Jack Hemingway launched Vintage Festival in 2010.