- PACKED YEAR OF EVENTS FOR SOUTHPORT
- Report By Julia Brough.
SOUTHPORT'S events programme for next year has just been launched promising residents and visitors the biggest line-up ever.
The fun-packed programme includes established favourites like the Southport Airshow, Jazz Festival and Pleasureland Musical Firework Championships as well as new events such as the Southport Pier Extravaganza and the return of the popular Thundersprint Festival of Motorcycling.
“Southport has now established itself as one of the UK’s leading destinations for major, top quality events and its reputation for staging such a well organised and diverse programme is spreading,” says Lord Fearn, Sefton’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Tourism.
“With the firm favourites and new events planned I’m confident that the 2003 programme will be a huge success and will attract even more visitors to the town.”
This year’s events programme attracted nearly 500,000 people to the resort, boosting the local economy by Ł10 million.
The events season kicks-off in April with the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree from the 3rd-5th followed by the Southport Spring Gardening Festival from May 3rd-5th at Meols Hall in Churchtown.
Southport Weekender, a dance/rave event at Pontins with top entertainment and DJs, is on May 9th–11th and, the same weekend, Southport welcomes back the Thundersprint Festival of Motorcycling on 10th/11th. The Model Airshow also takes place in May.
Southport Jazz Festival returns from the 19th-22nd June and on the 28th Southport Carnival takes place in the town centre.
A new event next year is the Southport Pier Extravaganza from 11th-13th July. Organisers plan to celebrate the recently restored Victorian landmark with a packed festival of entertainment for all the family.
The hugely successful Southport Summer Classics featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Victoria Park on August 2nd and another open-air concert is presently being planned for August 1st.
The Festival of Street Entertainment is on 26th/27th July, the Woodvale International Rally, with its displays of vintage and veteran vehicles and aircraft, is on 2nd/3rd August while Southport Flower Show, the biggest independent flower show in the country, takes place from 21st-23rd August.
The heats for the 2003 Search for a Star talent competition run through July and August with the North West final in Southport on September 20th.
|
The Southport Airshow, the biggest aviation event in the North West, will be staged on 6th/7th September at the resort’s seafront and the Pleasureland British Musical Firework Championships will again light up the skies from September 12th-14th. Next year’s 24-hour yacht race on the Marine Lake goes ahead on September 13th/14th.
Other events are presently being finalised including a Comedy Festival, which is scheduled to take place towards the end of the year.
For further information on other events taking place in Southport throughout 2003 contact the Southport Events Hotline on 01704 395511 or visit
www.visitsouthport.com
Vandals attack
again in Formby.
THE phone box out
side Formby Library and the bus stop have only just been fixed from an attack
a few days before. This time the vandals smashed all the windows, cursing
alot of damage and spraying the glass all over the pavement of Duke
Street. Merseyside Police are appealing for any one who
might have seen or know who did it to call them on 0151 777 3444 or to
call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Both the phone box
and the Bus Stop Smashed yet again.
|
