SO Festival Skegness Illuminations Switch On 2009
SO Festival Firework Video Now LIVE!!
Missed the firework display Full Circle by The World Famous? Don’t worry – WE videoed it for you in full High Definition!
So Festival Parade Photos
Tell us what YOU thought of the SO Festival, illuminations switch on and Fireworks in the COMMENTS BOX below!
SO Festival Firework Display Photos
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Skegness Illuminations and Night Shots HD Video
Still time to get yourselves down to the beach, folks, for the fantastic fireworks display and switch on of the Skegness Illuminations, 2009. The firework show starts at 10pm and the switch on at 10.45pm.
There is some confusion regarding the time that the fireworks will commence, due to old leaflets being distibuted by the Tourist Information Centre. We can confirm, having consulted an official source, that the firework display will commence at 10.00pm and NOT 9.30pm as stated on the leaflets.
SO Festival 2009 Program of Events
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SO Festival Skegness Full Circle
ELDC slashes ticket price for SO Opera and Kabaret.
new festival is coming to Skegness, SO 2009
With the first ever performance of the fabulous fire show “Full Circle” on a beach, crowds will be entertained by internationally renowned ‘The World Famous’ and Slovenian musicians Terrafolk, before the 2009 illuminations are switched on by radio DJ, Eddie Shaw, a special celebrity guest and the Mayoress of Skegness.
Alongside this premiere performance there will be a host of entertainment including: comedians, opera, cabaret and community workshops.
The two day event on 24 and 25 July 2009 is part of ‘Skegness Organises’, a wide-reaching programme of cultural, sporting and community events in the area. This event is funded by Arts Council England as part of their commitment to support fantastic arts events.
Everyone in the district and beyond, young, old and in between, can come along, watch some shows and get involved in the numerous workshops.
The festival launches on Friday 24 July 2009 with a Berlin-style cabaret -‘Kabaret’ – featuring the return to Skegness of internationally renowned singer Mary Carewe, and a seven piece band from sinfonia ViVA, the celebrated East Midlands based orchestra.
Also on the Friday will be an evening of fantastic comedy, led by Mitch Benn, winner of Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Competition and a BBC radio regular.
He will be supported by three acts: Steve Hall, Alistair Barrie and Ray Peacock.
Saturday 25 July sees a host of community events between10.00am and 3.30pm in Tower Gardens and on the beach with something for all the family. It’s a chance for young and old to get together and learn some fun new skills from circus juggling to clowning.
Children from seven upwards and their families can take part in various workshops themed around the circus skills and clowning. These will take place in the Big Top in the Tower Gardens and willinclude activities such as juggling, plate spinning, stilt-walking, unicycling and mime. The workshops cater for all visitors so everyone will be welcome. They will finish with a 40 minute performance in the Big Top.
Teenagers are also catered for as East Lindsey’s Funk Bus will be in Tower Gardens on Saturday 25 July between 10.00am and 4.00pm. With equipment such as a Play Station 3, X box 360, Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit Dance Mat, large plasma TVs, computers with internet access, a music juke box and an arts corner, it may be difficult to keep them away! This state of the art, wheelchair friendly mobile centre which tours remote villages, provides plenty to do.
The Saturday evening entertainment begins with a parade, this year starting at Pier Fields at 6pm and continuing past the Clock Tower onto Tower Esplanade, ending at the beach around 6:45pm. This will involve some of the “old” favourites – the 101 year old Jolly Fisherman enjoying the 2009 season with an even more packed schedule than before.
This is followed at 7pm by a musical adventure of opera and music at the Embassy Theatre.sinfonia ViVA, with special guest Jonathan Ansell, will present an Opera gala, conducted by James Holmes and introduced by Jonathan Kerrigan. Casualty and Heartbeat fans will recognise the Lincoln-born actor, Jonathan Kerrigan. Jonathan Ansell, also a local lad, will be familiar to fans of G4.
For those seeking a comfortable seat indoors, tickets are available from the Theatre Box Office, priced £15 for adults, £14 for concessions and £7.50 for children.
The show will also be relayed to a huge screen on the beach, making it the perfect venue for music lovers to enjoy an atmospheric picnic.
The finale of the evening will be the traditional countdown to the fireworks, this year on the beach.
Eddie Shaw’s countdown will launch the climax of SO 2009 at around 10pm, the ‘Full Circle’.This amazing pyrotechnic show developed by the internationally renowned The World Famous, are known for their displays at the Cultural Olympiad show in Dover, with musicians Terrafolk. This promises to be an unforgettable spectacle telling an exciting story of change through the seasons, through a 45 minute display.
As the crowds make their way from the beach back into the town, they will get their first glimpse of the 2009 illuminations in all their glory. These will remain lit through till dawn, allowing people to enjoy the lights and the nightlife of this vibrant seaside town.
Executive Director, Laura Dyer, Arts Council England, East Midlands says “We are committed to getting great art to everyone, and Skegness is a very special place for many people in the East Midlands and beyond. With a fantastic variety of entertaining art: from opera to comedy, the spectacular to the small scale, on the beaches and stages of the town, SO 2009 promises to be something really special. We’re hoping it is so successful that there will be a demand for it to happen again next year’.
Councillor Doreen Stephenson, Leader of East Lindsey District Council commented: “SO 2009 has been developed as an inspirational taster for a larger and more extravagant SO 2010 which is planned for next summer.
July’s two-day festival promises to be a fantastic event and a new entertainment experience, ignitingeveryone’sambition
The 2009 Skegness Illuminations switch on will be “one of the most exciting events in Skegness’ history” according to East Lindsey District Council, as major changes are made to this years ceremony.
There will be live opera, starring Jonathan Ansell from G4, at the Embassy Theatre which will be shown on the beach via a big screen. It will be hosted by Casualty star Jonathan Kerrigan and conducted by James Holmes.
The World Famous creates new ways of working with fire and fireworks which blend pyrotechnics with performance, large images, music, projection, procession and/or community involvement.
Full Circle is an IN SITU show. IN SITU, a European network for artistic creation in public areas, has been financed with the support of the European Commission (Culture 2000 programme). Full Circle was commissioned by Big In Falkirk and In Situ and co-commissioned by Without Walls.
The World Famous launched the Cultural Olympiad event in Dover called ’Light up Dover’. They have just returned from performing at the Singapore Arts Festival and perform this weekend in Rouen, France.
The switch will be flicked to a backdrop of live music and stunning pyrotechnics firework display, by The World Famous, on Skegness beach.
The display, which will be part of the £250,000 festival SO 2009, funded by the Arts Council, will follow an operatic performance screened on the beach.
In recent years, the Skegness Clock Tower has been the venue for the illuminations switch on, and before that, the Compass Gardens, but this is the very first time in the history of Skegness that the arena for the ceremony has been the beach.
Video of Fireworks Show
Picture supplied to us by ‘The World Famous’ : Full Circle at Big In Falkirk Pepper Pictures
SO (Skegness Organises) Festival advertisment banners
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The Event looks great its a shame though that its getting no publicity around town.. No posters up. No official publicity yet in Tourist information and Embassy have only sold 35 tickets so far for the concert.
If the So festival fails a lot of questions must be asked of organisers responsible for Marketting.
Sooo – when exactly will the illuminations be switched on, the beach is the venue so the web site says but surely not with the fireworks? Suggest Radio Lincs broadcasts repeatedly as the locals are in the dark
The fireworks are planned for the beach, Jane.
The 10.45 seems a bit late especially for the young children present. It would I think have been better to switch on the lights just before the Fireworks show ‘Full Circle’
Skegness TI have issued a new events update, on this it says that the full circle show will start at 9.30 and illuminations switch on will take place at 10.15. Still not really sure what is happening because official website is still showing old time table of events?
OK, cheers, Skeggy47. I’ve msgd James about it, and then we’ll get it from the horse’s mouth!
Waiting for confirmation email from James but the official ELDC organiser of the event says nothing has changed and the fireworks will start at 10.00pm as originally planned.
It seems from what i have found out that the events update i was given by TIC was an old one and not correct information. From enquiries I’ve made it seems that your information is correct.
Well sorted. looking forward to the event
Shame the switch on is at 10:45 so cant take my kids along, not worth me taking a trip over to Skeggy this year, what are they thinking !
What are ELDC thinking about – opera for a family switch on – fireworks – usually for kids – where’s the names that make the kids say I want to go and see that? 10.45 switch on – think SO stands for sod off. Total waste of tax payers money. Hope it doesn’t rain – wouldn’t like ot be on the beach watching the screen blow up.
At least Mabo got Timmy Mallett
Oh, also forgot to mention – things are going SO well they’ve dropped the price of the tickets Hmmmm!!!
Same here we were goin to book a bed an breakfast for the weekend so our one year old could see the lights come one untill i checked on monday what is the idea of the switch on being so late im sure a lot of familys with young children wont be attending glad i didnt waste my money will come down in september not so late at night
Glad i didnt waste my money was goin to book a b & b for me an my one year old till i saw the time of switch on what a joke how many parents with small children will be staying away by 11 the beach will be full of drunks and trouble makers what a let down
what the hell are the skegness council doing have they no idea of what the people of skegness want . obviously not. total waste of tax payers money as ususal we are local club and had decided to see the illuminations together and totally wasted our time . too late ,too boring ,will be going out of town next year to see better as will most of the holiday makers. towns run by self opinionated councilors who obviously dont think of the people who make this town a place to enjoy and live . BE ASHAMED.
I have lived in Skegness for 30 years and have NEVER seen anything as spectacular as the amazing firework display it was awesome. I didn’t want it to end. I took loads of pictures so that I could relive the moment but sadly I have somehow deleted them. Needless to say I am gutted. However, I have the memory of the evening and I wouldn’t have missed that for anything. Thank you so much to whoever was far sighted enough to do something different and bring something wonderful to Skegness. MORE MORE MORE please
I have just read the negative comments regarding the fireworks etc To be honest those are the kind of comments that has kept Skegness in the dark ages for so long. Negative negative, grumble grumble. What ever happened to Thank you for trying to give us something different????????? bah humbug to the miserable moaners. The evening was fun and absolutey AMAZING and all the kids around me were in awe of the wonderful fireworks. it was SPECTACUAR and thank god there was no Mr Blobby etc. Well done ELDC and THANK YOU
Actually Jan,having been born in Skegness some 40 odd years ago, I think I know what I’m talking about. I want Skegness to do well, I want shop owners to profit, I want the streets to be full of families, but when you set something up on the beach, where there are no shops,no bars – just the odd illegal street seller, how is this helping the town? We council tax payers have forked out for a free event for the holidaymakers to hang around on the beach for a few extra hours. I didn’t actually go to see the ’spectacular’ but did walk into town about 9.00 – families were walking in the wrong direction. Yet again the council got it wrong with their advertising of times – I passed people moaning later at night (10.30) at the firework display (which I assume was actually going off in line with what was happening on the stage).
Perhaps someone could do a Freedom of Information request to find out how much this event cost us and whether there was actually a profit made at the Embassy.
I know it costs money, but for goodness sake ELDC get someone more with it, more in the news, someone the kids know and really put Skegness on the map. As opera singer? No wonder the kids were yawning.
For many years I’ve watched the switch on – it’s been a great atmosphere in the town, but this year – it as gone because the council took it away from the town centre.
One final question, if the event was a big crescendo of switching the lights on – how many people were still there to see it who had kids with them?
The night was amazing, surely it must go down has the greatest night in skegness history. the free concert on the beach and in the theatre was fantastic, the joice of music meant that even those not familiar to opera could enjoy. The orchestra was fantastic and Jonathon Ansell was superb and the sight of peaple who had been sitting on the beach lying back and kicking thier feet in the air along to the music of the Can Can was so funny.
There must have been thoudands on the beach by the time the Full Circle were ready to start and very few left early
The Full Cirle was the greatest Music and Fireworks show I have ever seen, we in Britain are going to see much much more of The Terrafolk and there amazing show. I wouldn’t at all be supprised to see them perform at some time during the 2012 Olympics and those of us present last night can say we saw them at Skegness first.
Well done to the Skegness Organisers it was World Class and for those who missed it well theres always next year.
and you have no excuses for missing The SEAS festival in September.
Half of me wondered what on Earth was going on. I thought I was at a Pink Floyd gig. A total waste of money.
But the other half of me thought it was great.
We’ve all seen fireworks to music but this was something special.
Just that it was different & we were unprepared. Had we known more we’d have enjoyed it more.
All things considered, it was the start of things to come.
Skegness is slowly clawing its way out of being the cheesey seaside town for old people & day trippers. It has nothing major to exploit like a huge pier or surfing waves so an event like this goes a long way.
Sure it was a bumpy start but to be fair, it was pretty cool!
I thought the switch on this year was the best. I have lived in Skegness for 14 years and it was the best switch on ive ever seen. Ive got to admit at first when i heard it was going to be on the beach i thought it would be rubbish. Hope we have more switch ons like that in the future. It was a great event. Ive never seen so many people in Skegness before. Hope next years will be even better!!
I have to say when I read the information about the switch on this year i was, as i am every year not excited by the prospect. However i am sooooo glad that despite my fears of same old rubbish i decided to take a wonder down to the beach and discover a variety of people young and old enjoying a spectacular event.Everywhere i looked people were laughing and enjoying the music.The firework display and the the performers where out of this world, it was great to see Skegness finaly being but on the map. I would like to say thank you to those invloved and ask those who decided to critise without acually coming down to swallow your pride, and just take a look next year. You missed a fantastic event cant wait for next year. (Skegy Rach 26yrs old)
I am sorry to say that as a 40 something I and younger family were less than impressed, in a word ‘boring’.
We found ourselves a good spot near the clock tower to watch the Parade, waited for 30 min, the traffic cleared, then came the parade, they done well, but less than half a dozen organisations and a dirty bus bringing old Jolly Fisherman was a bit of a sad turnout, I turned to a complete stranger and we said to each other in amazement ‘is that it?’ sadly it was.
We then hung around for four hours to watch the highlight of the evening, the firework display leading on to the lights switch on. Once the music started it was very slow to get going not exciting, just a few puffs of fireworks and flames, there was no wow factor, This was not for all the family to enjoy just the older generation or people wanting a slow pace, we came home very disappointed, I’m up for change if it is bigger and better, but felt this did not suit the majority of people living in and visiting Skegness, it’s a family resort, keep the entertainment for the family. Yes what we did see was pretty and talented, I’m not against the performance’s they were just not family orientated, SO 2009 is a family event, come on ELDC think of the kids
My main concern before the even was that the organisers had made a big mistake in running this Festival on switch on night, I was worried that the switch on would be too late and that it would have been better to have run the festival on a completely seperate weekend.
But now after the event and on considering what was done in the past I can see the need for a change. The most people you can get around the clock tower for the switch on is around 200-300 for a short glance of a TV personality and a short fireworks display.
I dont know how many were on the beach last night but it must have been in the thousands, all those around us really enjoyed the Gala concert on the big screen and has the night went on more and more folks arived on the beach, I thought the Full circle show was breathtaking far more spectacular than any fireworks display of the past and I think if the concept of the performance and the use of the 4 seasons had been explained then everyones enjoymjent of the performance would have been enhanced.
So I ask my self, do I want to see a return to the tired looking switch-ons or do I want to see the type of show that we saw last night improved on and made even better next year then without a doubt its the latter
I’d like to say how much we enjoyed the firework display in Skegness this year it was absolutely wonderful. We came from Mablethorpe to find Skegness buzzing. All the pubs and the shops along the beach must of made a killing. Walking onto the beach we didn’t know what to expect, my 14 year old described it as a scene out of war of the worlds. After the show he said it was the best thing he’d ever seen in his life. So to those who moan, (well you can’t please everyone),try living in Mablethorpe and having Timmy Mallet come to flick your cast off lights on to light up your roads full of charity shops,tacky gift shops and pound shops then you will have something to moan about. Skeggy you did great, Mabo take note.
I made the effort to make a 80-mile round trip to see the performance, having looked on the net beforehand I knew what to expect and was not disappointed. I would not make the effort normally – well done ELDC for taking a risk and doing something different. Not everyone likes cheesy “celebs”
y-o-y need not have worried about the screen – it is completely weatherproof.
My family and I attended both last years and this years switch on and I know which one was better, FAR BETTER.
Certainly this years was outstandly spectacular and far better than any switch on I’ve ever seen. It has without doubt done wonders for the image of Skegness. There must have been over 10 thousand people on the beach, along North Bracing and on the pier many of whom would have spent their money in the arcades, pubs and shops before and after the show, many like ouselves would have made a weeks holiday out of it spending much more. The opera isn’t everyones cup of tea (it certainly isn’t mine) but as for the time of the display & switch on surely it finishing 10:45pm at the begining of the holiday season on a Saturday night isn’t too much for young children, they don’t have to be up early next day do they!
I did have concerns though when two of the fireworks seemed to land and explode in the crowds stood on North Bracing to the rear of the RNLI station and another exploded as it hit the roof of the kiosk.
All in all I think if this is a start of things to come, along with the redevelopment of Grand Parade, for Skegness the future’s bright.
Dawncorus
Scunthorpe