THE ORGANISERS of a popular North East festival are celebrating a successful summer of music, thanks to support from a leading college.
The South Tyneside Festival, organised by South Tyneside Council, provides a packed programme of events over three months, supported by sponsors including South Tyneside College.
And the popular Sunday concert series once again welcomed tens of thousands of visitors to Bents Park over the course of four shows.
A number of returning favourites and first time South Tyneside Festival performers took to the stage, with Marti Pellow opening the series to a record-breaking turnout.
Music fans continued to flock to the park in their thousands for the next three concerts, which featured sets from the Lightning Seeds, Phats and Small, Midge Ure, Nick Heyward and Gabrielle.
Councillor Alan Kerr, Lead Member for Culture and Leisure at South Tyneside Council, believes this summer’s shows have been some of the most popular to date.
“The concerts have once again been a great success and it has been wonderful to see such a fantastic turnout to this year’s events,” said Cllr Kerr.
“Bents Park has welcomed some incredible performers over the series and we are very grateful to all of our sponsors for their part in making it happen.”
Alison Maynard, Deputy Chief Executive at Tyne Coast College incorporating South Tyneside College, said: “The festival provides an excellent programme of entertainment in South Shields, which really helps put the town on the map,”
“The council do a brilliant job organising events the whole family can enjoy and it’s not difficult to see why it attracts visitors from all over the region and beyond. We are proud to support such a successful, local event.”
The South Tyneside Festival is supported by BBC Newcastle 95.4FM and also sponsored by Port of Tyne, Colmans Seafood Temple and The Sea Hotel.
The Kids Fun Fest is providing family-friendly entertainment at the Amphitheatre throughout August and there are still a number of live music shows lined up for visitors to enjoy.
For more information and full listings visit: www.southtynesidefestival.co.uk or follow the social media accounts on Twitter @stynesideevents and Facebook /southtynesideevents.