New Brighton festival set to celebrate third year – and creating a legacy 

New Brighton’s summer festival is set to celebrate its third year with a brand-new name and more entertainment and attractions than ever.

The event which now attracts more than 25,000 to one of Merseyside’s favourite seaside towns has been renamed New Brighton Family Food and Drink Festival.

And organisers Jess Waring and Kate Corcoran say it’s fast becoming the spectacular community festival they hoped it would be.

Kate said:

“I grew up loving the Wirral Show and, like so many people, I missed it when it was gone, And we wanted to develop something like that.”

Jess added:

“We love the idea that we are creating a legacy event. One that everyone looks forward to and enjoys every year.

“It’s a massive coming-together of a community and people from outside the area, and we hope it will become every bit a part of New Brighton as the Wirral Show was.”

“We’re delighted with how it’s grown already, and our hope is that it will just get bigger and better every year,” continues Kate. “Last year’s event was double the size of the first year, and we hope we’ll see that again this year with all the new things we’ve got.

“It’s a free festival that doesn’t have to cost you a thing, and it’s for everyone. It’s for people with young families, it’s for couples, it’s for people who want to come down with their dogs … everyone!”

Former wedding planners Jess and Kate put on the first event in 2023, after meeting through some of the area’s popular markets.

Kate, 45, who launched the Yay Wirral Instagram platform to shout out about and showcase everything that New Brighton has to offer, organises the Wallasey Village Market on the second Sunday of every month.

And Jess, 34, from ‘This Side of the Water’, runs the New Brighton Food and Farmers Market.

The pair wanted to organise a festival to bring all the independent traders together for one huge festival event and to promote the area, while creating that ‘legacy’ that everyone would look forward to.

“I grew up here and probably took it for granted, but after living in Ireland for a while, I realised all over again what a gorgeous place it is – and my husband and kids used to say ‘where you’re from is fantastic’,” smiles Kate. 

This year will be the festival’s third year, and there’s more than ever to lure locals and people from the Liverpool City Region and beyond to The Dips from Friday to Sunday, July 25-27.

New for this year will be Tallulah’s Garden Bar, creating a relaxing drinks area incorporating a Spritz Bar, a Prosecco and Gin Bar, a Craft and Ale Wine Bar, and a Premium Cider Bar.

And there’ll be plenty more to keep everyone busy – and having a great time:

* A Main Stage area geared towards the family will host acts including Mr Tumble Liverpool; The Disney Princess Show; Danny Go!;  community choirs and dance troops; as well BGT finalists Mersey Girls; Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodriguez tribute acts, and more.

* For music lovers the Acoustic Stage will have acts including Grace Harvey; Close Enough; Liz Owen; Gracie and Erin; The Chimera Project; Fairchild Robinson, and JAM Quintet, and there’ll be an open mic on the Sunday.

Throughout the three day festival an independent market will be home to 70 traders selling everything from artisan cheeses, donuts, cakes and treats, to homewares, handmade clothing, toys, jewellery and take home cocktails.

There’ll be an International Food Village with 30 vendors selling food and drink including It’s So Corny – Korean corndogs; Chip’d – Dutch fries & dips; Parkgate Fish and Chips; Tik Taco, and The Seafood Shack, West Kirby.

A larger-than-ever Pet Village will have an assault course, a daily dog show and demos, as well as a variety of pet stalls.

And there will be a sensory zone – ‘I’m a mum of three with two children who are autistic,’ says Kate, “so this was always really important to me’ – with bubbles, trampolines, story tents, LEGO tents, reptiles, a sensory toyshop, and more.

The Game Zone will have axe throwing, a zip wire, mini golf, a rodeo, and inflatables; there’ll be a huge 30-ride funfair for all age groups, and that’s alongside all the other must-haves for a massive family event like face painting, donkey rides, balloons, trampolines, inflatables, and caricature artists.

“We’ve now got a model to follow that we know works and every year we’ll keep improving it even more,” says Jess.

Kate adds: “It’s free entry and you can come with your own food or picnic and not spend a penny if you don’t want to, and just enjoy the music and entertainment, and the atmosphere.

“It’s a community-led festival and you can come and go as many times as you wish.

“A big thing for us is that, as well as helping to create a great family-orientated event, we want to give a platform and opportunity for independent businesses, and to have so many saying after the first year how well they’d done, and that we’d helped them get out of the red and to finally see a future in what they were doing, was amazing.

“So we can’t wait for July and the next festival.”

Find out more about New Brighton Family Food and Drink Festival here.

Find all the latest Wirral news here.

Find out what’s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide. 

From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North – visit thenorthernguide.com and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram HERE.