Sun shines on Minehead Bay Festival Crowds

Summer finally arrived on Saturday as the crowds came out in force to enjoy art, culture, and live music on Minehead’s seafront. More than 3000 people descended on Minehead for the annual Minehead Bay Festival which provides an eclectic mix of entertainment for the community and visitors alike.

​The festival kicked off at 12pm with performances from local multi-generational sea shanty group The Rogues, and Skintight Samba, a Somerset-based samba band. Further performances from Trevor Babajack Steger, and Minehead-based musicians Wob Williams, Alex Cook and The Understairs meant music-lovers were in for a treat, with headliners 3 Daft Monkeys delivering an electric performance in the sweltering afternoon sun.

​Over on the circus green, Higher Beings Circus wowed the crowds with heart-stopping performances from tight-rope walkers, acrobats, and aerialists, while Watchet-based gallery, East Quay, delivered free arts and crafts workshops. Inside the wellness tent, festival goers looking for a more relaxing festival experience immersed themselves in the healing sounds of one of mankind’s oldest instruments – the gongs – before enjoying relaxing yoga sessions with local yoga teacher, Terry Bruce.

​Zara Aitken, Event Manager for the Minehead Bay Festival and Project Coordinator for Minehead and Coast Development Trust said, “From start to finish, the esplanade was abuzz with festival goers enjoying the diverse array of entertainment on offer. We have some incredible local artists here and it was amazing to see the community come out in force to celebrate what makes Minehead so unique. We have been overwhelmed with the positive feedback from those who came to the festival, and we’re excited to start planning next years’ event. I want to thank all those who made this event possible – it was a real community effort, with several local charities and businesses providing volunteers, resources, and equipment. We couldn’t do it without the help and support of the community, and our amazing team who have worked tirelessly for months to make this event such a success.”

​Throughout the afternoon, attendees were treated to live art by talented local artists, Charlie Mcfarley, Patrick Bremer and Zoe Snape, who painted huge canvases live on the esplanade. Meanwhile, world champion sand sculptor and CBBC Deadly Art TV presenter, Nicola Wood, created a stunning sand sculpture of a giant octopus on the beach, with her team delivering free workshops to help families build their very own sculptures.

​Musicians as young as 15 years old were invited to perform at the ‘Busk Station’, organised by local musician, Follow the Dolphin, while local youth organisation, Minehead EYE and the team from South West Skate Ramps, ran skate-boarding workshops and competitions on the 24-foot skate ramp.

​Festival goers commented on the range and diversity of activities available for all ages, while another local resident stated, “I'm always proud to have grown up in Minehead, but this weekend I was the proudest in a while”.
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The Minehead Bay Festival was delivered by Minehead and Coast Development Trust with support from Minehead EYE, Rotary Club, Homestart, and RNLI and was funded by grants from Hinkley Point C Community Impact Mitigation Fund, Coastal Communities Team and Minehead BID.