The popular Vintage by the Sea Festival returned to the Lancashire resort of Morecambe in September
Vintage by the Sea Festival is organised by Deco Publique and design gurus Wayne & Corey Hemingway and takes place along with similar ones in other parts of the country. It has become Morecambe’s most visited event, with 45,000 visitors attending over the weekend of September 3 and 4. is organised by Deco Publique and design gurus Wayne & Corey Hemingway and takes place along with similar ones in other parts of the country. It has become Morecambe’s most visited event, with 45,000 visitors attending over the weekend of September 3 and 4.
A whole host of activities take place over the weekend, with plenty on offer for families to enjoy. Vintage by the Sea Festival celebrates design, fashion, vehicles and entertainment from the 1920s to the 1980s, and includes family workshops, a vintage market, and street and musical entertainment. There is also a classic car show (and rally), dancing, vintage bus rides, a vintage fairground and more.
Although advertised as ‘vintage’, included in the fairground part of the festival was Taylor’s Funfairs‘ 2004 Mardi Gras set of Gallopers, along with their 2020-built Eurowheel Ferris wheel. Rayner Fletcher’s 1972 Chair-o-Planes ride sat alongside the wheel.
Mitchell Coats’ helter skelter and vintage laughing clowns game, plus Taylor’s Funfairs’ vintage toy set stood and adjacent grassland close to the music stage and street theatre.
Taylor’s Funfairs’ Mega Funland took place for five months in Morecambe from Easter. Rides came and went over the period but their star attraction, the Booster Maxxx, remained for the duration (apart from attending Newcastle).
Marshall Hill’s Ski Jump returned from last year’s line-up, along with the lessee’s Sizzler Twist and Supercar dodgems. Newcomers included Callum Bedford’s Freeway Super Bob, Alex Crow’s Dumbos and Taylor’s Funfairs’ Jungle fun house, which is a recent addition to their stable of rides this year. Leonard George Chadwick’s ghost train and Robert Coats’ House Party fun house also returned.
Some fine supporting attractions included Taylors’ Wacky Worm juvenile roller coaster along with a number of their other children’s attractions, stalls and kiosks. Callum Bedford, Alex Crow and Mitchell Coats contributed other small stuff.
We visited on the Sunday of the festival and at opening time at midday a steady flow of visitors started to arrive on the fair. It was very busy elsewhere around the resort, and the attractions around the promenade gardens area seemed to be getting plenty of attention from families enjoying all the festival activities.
Photo: Taylor’s Funfairs’ Jungle fun house, a new purchase for 2022 at the Vintage by the Sea Festival at Morecambe.
