Coastline
The sea breeze swishing through your hair, the sensation of wet sand between your toes and the smell of vinegary chips lingering at your nostrils: everyone has vivid memories of their childhood seaside holidays. Relish that nostalgic feeling again but this time add a modern twist. Bumble about on creaky Victorian piers crowned with roller coasters, have a chinwag with a local artist in their seaside studio or lace up your hiking boots for a cliff-top stroll in search of puffins and gannets. Hungry? The freshest seafood and gourmet restaurants await, as do hand-warming portions of fish ‘n’ chips. Start planning your coastal holidays.
See global superstars at the Isle of Wight Festival
See some of the biggest names in the business from the past, present and future at this legendary music festival in June.
Location: Newport, Isle of Wight
August events: SO Festival
Lincolnshire’s coastal district of East Lindsey is transformed into an international arts venue during this annual summer festival.
Location: Skegness, Lincolnshire
June events: Step back in time at Broadstairs Dickens Festival
The usually quiet coastal town Broadstairs comes to life to celebrate the life of Dickens at this week-long, eclectic festival.
Location: Broadstairs, Kent
August events: Broadstairs Folk Week
Join in the fun – play the spoons, sing along with the many bands, shake a clog or head along to the Hobby Horse Club.
Location: Broadstairs, Kent
Get your jazz hands out for the Scarborough Jazz Festival
Each September, the annual Scarborough Jazz Festival on Yorkshire’s north coast provides the ideal tonic for music lovers to wash away those summer blues.
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
September events: Help yourself to the best food and drink in Aldeburgh
Fine food, local brews and idyllic seaside make the perfect ingredients for a tasty weekend away.
Location: Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Watch Indie A-listers at the End of the Road Festival
The intimate surroundings of the End of the Road Festival give you the chance to get up close and personal with the bands and their music.
Location: Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset
August events: Eat, drink and be merry at the Newlyn Fish Festival
Celebrate the Cornish fishing community’s hard work and delicious produce at the Newlyn Fish Festival.
Location: Newlyn, Cornwall
Get beside the seaside for the Coastival arts festival
Be part of Scarborough’s three-day celebration of all things music, theatre, dance, film and art.
Location: Scarborough, Yorkshire
July events: Penzance Literary Festival
A literary festival on the Cornish coast with a distinctly local flavour and a relaxed atmosphere that’s ideal for book lovers.
Location: Penzance, Cornwall
September events: Experience Agatha Christie's Riviera in Devon
Discover Agatha Christie's Riviera and follow in her footsteps by attending her namesake festival, and walking the Agatha Christie Mile in the bustling harbour town of Torquay.
Location: Torquay, Devon
September events: Bournemouth Air Festival
The world's biggest airshow brings together the thrill of gravity-defying plane displays and an abundance of family entertainment on the ground - all for free!
Location: Bournemouth, Dorset
October Events: Party hard at England's biggest indoor world music festival
Take a journey through the world of music at Whitby’s annual Musicport Festival, an event full of excellent live music and cultural diversity.
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire
July Events: South Tyneside Festival
This fabulous summer festival brings three months of free entertainment to the vibrant seaside resort of South Shields.
Location: South Shields, Tyne and Wear
All the fun of the fair with Dorset’s summer festivals
Dorset entertains the whole family all summer long hosting an array of amazing events and festivals that are unique, nostalgic or just plain fun!
Location: Dorset
June events: Lytham Festival
Enjoy a new week-long summer festival in June and July that promises music, comedy and literature in the Lancashire seaside resorts of Lytham and St Annes.
Location: Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
August events: Grab your partner and ceilidh on down to Sidmouth Folk Week
The Regency town of Sidmouth on Devon’s Jurassic Coast celebrates a week of folk music, dance and song every August.
Location: Sidmouth, Devon
September events: Pop-up galleries and festival arts in North Yorkshire
The Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage in North Yorkshire invites visitors to experience a unique weekend featuring 130 artists in 90 pop-up galleries.
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire
Get your ‘blues’ fix at Broadstairs Blues Bash
Aint’ nothin’ but the blues - not the winter ones, but the music type in Broadstairs every February for one weekend.
Location: Broadstairs, Kent
Adventure like the Famous Five in Dorset
Visit the Isle of Purbeck on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, which is said to have inspired Enid Blyton's books.
Location: Purbeck, Dorset