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Dates confirmed for SO Festival 2011

SO Festival 2011 will take place in Skegness between Friday, July 22 and Sunday, July 24, East Lindsey District Council has confirmed, as the Authority requests funding from the Arts Council and invites potential sponsors to come forward.

Although the programme has yet to be confirmed the Festival again takes place on the Olympic Open Weekend and the District Council and its partners are already working hard to ensure it has close ties to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The SO Festival, which is estimated to be worth over £1million to the local economy, was launched in 2009 with funding support from Arts Council England. In 2010 the Festival was awarded the Inspire Mark by the London 2012 Organising Committee and it was the Olympic Open Weekend Event for the East Midlands.

"SO Festival was a brave step forward for our coast," said the Leader of the District Council, Councillor Doreen Stephenson. "The Festival has challenged traditional perceptions of the seaside holiday and put the area on the map as an ambitious and exciting place to visit - an area that is looking to the future. We must continue to embrace these new and exciting opportunities and continue to develop partnerships with local people. We want to ensure East Lindsey is a place people want to visit for many years to come."

The media coverage around SO Festival 2010 alone has been valued at over £500,000, including that generated locally, regionally and nationally.

SO Festival 2010, saw a strong community focus with lots of local organisations taking part and a close partnership with BBC Lincolnshire Introducing, giving local musicians a chance to showcase their work live on air from the Embassy Theatre. The 2010 Festival also saw the UK premier of Traffic Art by Ra Kajol, which transformed Tower Esplanade into a sea of colour. Thousands of people came to watch two world class performances on the Friday and Saturday nights with French Artists Transe Express swooping through the air suspended 40m above the crowds and Plasticiens Volants turning the streets into an aquatic wonderland with their performance of Perle.

Article Published: 07/12/2010

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