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Over 46,000 people descend on Skegness for SO Festival 2011

The SO Festival has built on the success of last years event and has been hailed a fantastic success by its organisers, East Lindsey District Council.

An estimated 46,250 people flocked to Skegness to enjoy a programme of music, art and cultural events.

From Friday 22 to Sunday 24 July the festival transformed Skegness into a colourful carnival of art, theatre, dance and music by delivering three days of breath-taking events.

Funded by Arts Council England and East Lindsey District Council, SO Festival 2011 officially kicked off with School’s Out, a programme of dance, street theatre and music designed especially, but not exclusively, for families and schoolchildren, marking the start of their summer holidays.

Friday night saw BBC Lincolnshire Introducing returned to the Embassy Theatre for a second year. Six local bands performed to an 800-strong crowd before The World Famous, who performed at 2009’s festival, returned to Skegness with a new performance, All Hands, which combined fire, fireworks and music in a spectacular and moving visual journey.

On Saturday, July 23 comedy arrived at SO Festival as seasoned performer Lee Evans took to the stage at the Embassy Theatre for a sell out gig.

The festival also played host to Games Time, a large scale spectacular involving 200 people from across Lincolnshire. Funded by Legacy Trust UK with support from Arts Council England, the spectacular involved four teams competing in a choreographed story with kings, queens, executioners and mythical creatures, such as dragons and minotaurs, set against a backdrop of giant video projections, pyrotechnics and music.

Games Time is the first of four Community Celebrations, funded by Legacy Trust UK, marking the countdown to The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity which has been set up to create a lasting cultural legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Parlaympic Games across the UK.

Over 11,000 people took to the beachfront to watch the production, which had been two years in the planning. The production was directed by internationally acclaimed choreographer Lea Anderson MBE, who was part of an esteemed team assembled by Derby’s Déda Producing, which was successful in securing £750k from Legacy Trust UK’s £3 million Community Celebrations programme.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” said Martin Wrates (44) from Skegness, who was in the audience. “We’re just a small town in Lincolnshire. You just don’t expect to see something like this on a weekend. SO Festival has put us on the map. It’s great for the town and for the people who live here, work here and come on holiday here to see things like this.”

Pop legend Lulu, singer Kiki Dee and X-factor sensation, The Reason 4, brought the festival to a close at the Embassy Centre on Sunday (24th July).

This year’s SO Festival continued its tradition of unusual, engaging and enthralling works of art, theatre and dance appearing in unexpected places throughout the weekend.

One such appearance was from the Architects of Air with their installation, Levity II, a luminarium and network of connected chambers constructed from brightly coloured translucent plastic, which was inflated in Tower Gardens for the duration of the festival.

The SO Dance programme returned throughout the weekend, with dance groups from across Lincolnshire performing as part of Games Time and also on their own as part of the wider festival line up.

This year’s festival built on Skegness’ international reputation for quality arts, which was formed when Swedish arts organisation Intercult brought Black/North SEAS to the town in 2009. Since then East Lindsey District Council has continued to strengthen its relationship with Scandinavia and the town of Helsingborg in particular. Moving Colour, an international exchange programme, part of the Lincolnshire Showcase, which saw Swedish dancers performing in Skegness during SO Festival.

Sunday once again saw local musicians bring a chilled out feel to Tower Gardens.

As well as arts events, this year’s SO Festival included a sporting element with a programme of beach sports taking place throughout the summer.

Guests to the festival also got the opportunity to take part in a series of beach sports including rugby, cricket and football as well as watching the English Beach Volley Ball Championships over the weekend.

“We set out to build on the success of previous SO Festivals and we feel we have achieved this thanks to the vision and commitment of team. I would also like to thank everyone who volunteered from across the district – they really helped make the Festival a success!” says Cllr Doreen Stephenson, Leader of East Lindsey District Council and Lincolnshire’s 2012 Champion.

“We’ve worked incredibly hard to bring world class performers to Skegness and with events like Games Time making it’s debut in the town, SO Festival 2011 has offered something for everyone. But more importantly it has brought people to Skegness and supported the District’s economy, which is one of our top priorities.

“We are welcoming all local residents, business and visitors’ views about the Festival – so we can help make next year’s festival even better. Please visit www.sofestival.org to leave your comments.”

Peter Knott, Regional Director of Arts Council England, said: “I’m really proud that SO Festival continues to build momentum year on year. Legacy Trust UK only awarded four Community Celebration Awards across the UK - Games Time is one of those and Skegness was the only place to see it during 2011.

“SO Festival takes the arts to the people, allowing them to experience the fantastic cultural provision available to them on their doorstep. It clearly demonstrates the value and impact the arts can have on the seaside town of Skegness, engaging audiences and offering them memorable experiences.”

Article Published: 27/07/2011

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