A festival which drew thousands from Lancashire, Cumbria and beyond to Morecambe each September for over a decade has been cancelled.
Organisers of the Vintage by the Sea event say funding challenges and continued rising costs mean the event, which has run for the last 11 years will not take place in 2025.
The iconic Midland Hotel and former railway station in Morecambe were the centre of the festival which is said to have attracted over 40,000 people and generated £17m for the area’s economy since it began.
In a statement, organisers Deco Publique said: “Over the past 11 years, Vintage by the Sea, a free to attend, not-for-profit festival, has grown into a flagship event for Morecambe and Lancashire, attracting over 40,000 local, regional, national and international visitors annually and generating more than £17 million in economic impact for the town since its inception.
“It has grown into a national platform for celebrating decades of culture, creativity, fashion and design while making a significant positive contribution to the local economy and the Morecambe community as a whole.
“The festival’s return after the Covid-19 pandemic brought a renewed sense of celebration and connection, but it also highlighted the extent of cost increases and the infrastructure needs of organising an event of this scale. T
“he pressure to raise the funds needed to match rising costs, within the timescales prescribed by some funders, has become unsustainable.”
Morecambe-born designer Wayne Hemingway was instrumental in developing the festival and the statement from Hemingway Design and Deco Publique, organisers of Vintage by the Sea, say they “remain committed to the spirit of the festival and its founding values, and will continue to advocate for art, culture and high-quality event experiences in Morecambe.”
They added: “To everyone who has both supported and enjoyed Vintage by the Sea — whether by attending, trading, performing, volunteering, as a local business playing host to our thousands of visitors, and to the professionals who have worked together to deliver over a decade of memories and unforgettable weekends for Morecambe – we want to say a huge thank you, and we’ll return if and when the time is right.”
| Deco Publique said |
| “To everyone who has both supported and enjoyed Vintage by the Sea — whether by attending, trading, performing, volunteering, as a local business playing host to our thousands of visitors, and to the professionals who have worked together to deliver over a decade of memories and unforgettable weekends for Morecambe – we want to say a huge thank you, and we’ll return if and when the time is right.” |
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