Southport Armed Forces Day to be celebrated with exciting new festival in 2025

Mark your calendars for the weekend of 28 – 29 June 2025, as Southport gears up for an unforgettable event that will honour our armed forces with the new Southport Armed Forces Festival.

Southport Armed Forces Day is transforming into an even grander celebration in 2025, now rebranded as the Southport Armed Forces Festival.

This reimagined festival is set to deliver an action-packed weekend featuring three key components designed to celebrate the military community while promoting local pride and inclusivity.

Carnival Celebration: Saturday, 28 June

The festival will kick off with a spectacular carnival parade that highlights the best of Southport’s community and pays tribute to our armed forces.

Organisers are calling on schools, community groups, businesses, and organisations across Southport to join this lively event. The carnival will feature two sections:

• Motorised Parade: A colourful procession of floats and vehicles will wind its way through the town, creating a visual spectacle for all to enjoy.
• On-Foot Parade: Marching along the iconic Lord Street, the parade will include a military band, standards from armed forces organisations, honoured veterans, and representatives from local cadet groups.

Battle of the Bands Music Concert: Saturday Evening

After the carnival festivities, the excitement continues at Pleasureland’s outdoor arena, where the Battle of the Bands concert will take centre stage.

With the generous support of Norman Wallis, this event promises to be a musical extravaganza, showcasing a wide range of genres to cater to all tastes.

Local bands and performers will compete to win over the crowd, making this an unmissable evening of live entertainment.

Traditional Armed Forces Day: Sunday, 29 June

The festival will culminate in a day dedicated to honouring our military community.

The day begins with the Drumhead multi-faith military church service. This poignant service will bring together people from all walks of life to pay tribute to the sacrifices made by our service members.

Although the customary Armed Forces Day parade will be integrated into Saturday’s carnival, Sunday will remain focused on celebrating and supporting the armed forces community.

Veterans’ organisations, along with Southport’s residents, will come together to ensure this event is both meaningful and memorable.

The Southport Branch of the Royal British Legion, in collaboration with key organisations within the town, will be the lead planners for the event. An initial planning conference will be held on Friday, 10th January 2024, at 10am in Southport Town Hall. This conference will welcome all interested parties who wish to be involved in the planning and execution of this vital community event.

The Southport Armed Forces Festival promises to be a fun-filled weekend for families, veterans, and everyone in our community. We invite residents and visitors to join us in making this event memorable as we honour those who serve and have served.

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