Huge numbers flocked to the east coast as the UK's only free beach festival made a "magical" return.
Tens of thousands of people hit Lowestoft this weekend as First Light Festival 2024 attracted the crowds.
The multi-arts festival - celebrating the first midsummer sunrise in Britain's most easterly town - had dozens of international acts, award-winning performers, live music, DJs, poets, comedians, fashion parades, workshops, wellbeing zones, art, unique sculptures, sports, talks, science and activities to entertain everyone.
As the temperatures rose, a sun-soaked midsummer weekend packed with entertainment aplenty transformed Lowestoft's South Beach, Kensington Gardens and the Upper Esplanade.
The festival started in style with a spectacular walking parade led by the Hackney Colliery Band and two new large scale puppets - Spectrum: Spirit of Light and Neptune: God of the Sea - who joined Sol: Spirit of Lowestoft, in a procession along the town's seafront.
Featuring more than 200 youngsters - including primary school children - The Marina Samba Band, and community groups, there was lots of noise as the Resonance! opening parade made its way to the main stage on the beach.
Here they entertained the crowds with "a wonderful opening performance" of House of the Rising Sun.
After an afternoon of events, ticketed performances took centre stage on Saturday night.
Shaparak Khorsandi's appearance at The Seagull Theatre in Pakefield was packed, while 280 people turned out for an afterparty with DJ Coco Maria at Mossy's nightclub in Lowestoft.
Record crowds gathered on the shoreline on Sunday morning for adawn experience of yoga, dance and music with the rising light ahead of DJ Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy's Balearic Breakfast.
Delighted with the weekend, Genevieve Christie, CEO of First Light Festival CIC said: "It has been an amazing turnout.
"We are absolutely thrilled.
"It felt like the whole town has turned out and even though the weather was bit hit and miss on Saturday, it did not deter people from getting involved in all the activities.
"The opening parade was really lovely and we had a wonderful opening performance that was really intergenerational - it was absolutely fantastic.
"We have had tens of thousands of people turning out.
"It was really magical as we had the most stunning sunrise with more people than ever before turning out - it was really beautiful, with some very special performances.
"Our DJs in the dunes area had the young people dancing and enjoying themselves, while the Celtic music performed on the main stage on Sunday morning was really wonderful, attracting more people than ever before."
Traders reported an excellent weekend.
With pub and restaurant group Moss and Co having two bars at the festival, Adam Vass, operations manager for Moss and Co Trading Ltd, said: "It has been brilliant.
"The atmosphere on the beach has been amazing and for me this has been the best year ever.
"The festival brings people to Lowestoft and seeing all the queues and people using the local traders is really good for the town."
Kevin Reade, of outdoor event caterer and hog roast specialist Reade Caterers, had sold out before the end of the first day.
"Saturday was really busy," he said.
"It has been absolutely brilliant, with a great atmosphere - a bit like the Lowestoft Airshow days."
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