INTERVIEW: Morecambe Maritime Festival to set sail for second year

An event celebrating Morecambe's proud maritime culture and heritage will return for its second year.

Morecambe Maritime Festival will be a weekend of sea songs, traditional shanties, interactive workshops, and outdoor activities along the iconic Morecambe Promenade.

The event on Saturday August 16 will welcome both local and national performers whose work connects with maritime themes past, present, and future.

For the first time, Rhythms & Roots workshops will bring local communities together by celebrating Morecambe’s maritime heritage and environment through creative activities.

The festival raises money for the Morecambe RNLI lifeboat crew.

LISTEN to organiser John Metcalfe talking about this year's festival

The festival will get under way with an 'Anchors Aweigh' launch night at The Bath Tap on Friday, August 15 from 8pm.

At this fundraising event you can meet people involved in all aspects of the festival team including some of the performers, and join in some of the previewed shanties and other sea faring entertainment.

Ticket price includes a free welcoming drink, and snacks. There will be raffle tickets on sale.

Tickets are on sale HERE.

Then there will be free musical performances in The Pier Hotel, The Chieftain, The Royal Bar & Shaker, The Bath, Morecambe Library and Harry's Bar on the afternoon of Saturday August 16.

Performers will include Richard Grainger, Vic Shepherd and John Bowden, Hooligan's Rule (below), The Mizzen Crew, Nobody's Friends, Sunderland Point Shanty Crew, Scrimshankers, Bonny at Morn and Clive Marquis-Carr.

Other activities during the day will include sandcastle building, a shanty workshop, street theatre, a rhythm and roots word walk, water safety with the Morecambe lifeboat crew, exhibitions and stalls, and a street theatre performance by The West End Players.

Then that night, there will be a festival concert at the Winter Gardens.

Headlines acts will include The Jack Tars, John Conolly and Ship to Shore.

Tickets available HERE.

Full festival programme can be found HERE.