Arts on the Beach 2024: Over 4,000 Revel in Coastal Creativity At Watergate Bay

Festival Highlights: Inflatable Whale, Sea Giant, and Silent Disco Draw Crowds

Fresh from making waves at Watergate Bay, this weekend saw the two-day Arts on the Beach festival attract over 4,000 attendees, celebrating creativity with a theme of protecting the ocean.

A Weekend of Ocean-Inspired Art and Performance

Watergate Bay sprang to life with an array of performances and activities, captivating families and individuals alike. One of the standout attractions was Circo-rum-Ba-Ba’s life-size 60-foot inflatable whale, which hosted an enchanting puppet tale about the life cycle of a leatherback turtle. This unique performance inspired attendees of all ages to reflect on ocean conservation.

Johnny Autin Dance Company’s 13-foot sea giant, Eko, made a dramatic appearance, mesmerizing festival-goers with his colossal size and captivating performance. Before his beach debut, Eko delighted holidaymakers at Cornwall Airport, Newquay, surprising them as they arrived.

Josie Hutt, marketing manager at Cornwall Airport, expressed her excitement: “This is a hugely valuable event for the local area, with a high calibre of talent in the line-up. Seeing Eko out and about on our airfield on Friday was magic.”

📷Wildcard - Arts On The Beach event at Watergate Bay. A free family weekend of whale theatre, aerial performance, a 13-foot roaming puppet, dance, music and creative workshops. The second Arts on the Beach event following its inauguration last year. Newquay, Cornwall. June 15 2024.

Wildcard – Arts On The Beach event at Watergate Bay. A free family weekend of whale theatre, aerial performance, a 13-foot roaming puppet, dance, music and creative workshops. The second Arts on the Beach event following its inauguration last year. Newquay, Cornwall. June 15 2024.

Diverse Performances and Engaging Workshops

The festival featured a variety of performances and workshops throughout the weekend. Hikapee Theatre dazzled with aerial acrobatics in “Everywhere’s a Beach,” while H & T Creative’s “No Time to Waste” highlighted the importance of reducing plastic waste. The Hall for Cornwall Youth Theatre dance troupe presented a preview of their new piece, “Jack,” which will be performed in full later this year.

Helen Tiplady, deputy creative director of Hall for Cornwall, remarked, “This weekend is a brilliant way to celebrate the outdoors, the beach, and the environment, with performance and a gathering of our creative community.”

Community and Creativity Shine

Laura Smith, Watergate Bay Hotel’s group head of events and programming, was thrilled with the event’s success: “Our first Arts on the Beach was a real hit; so it was great to see its second year roll out with thousands of people having a brilliant time across the weekend. The sun shone, and we were able to welcome more people than last year, with visitors from the local community and further afield coming along to join in the fun.”

The festival also welcomed two Artists in Residence. Georgina Peters captivated onlookers by creating a collaborative abstract piece in real-time, while Beach4Art, a family of artists, used beach-found materials to craft a lobster mural in celebration of National Lobster Day.

📷Wildcard - Arts On The Beach event at Watergate Bay. A free family weekend of whale theatre, aerial performance, a 13-foot roaming puppet, dance, music and creative workshops. The second Arts on the Beach event following its inauguration last year. Newquay, Cornwall. June 15 2024.

Wildcard – Arts On The Beach event at Watergate Bay. A free family weekend of whale theatre, aerial performance, a 13-foot roaming puppet, dance, music and creative workshops. The second Arts on the Beach event following its inauguration last year. Newquay, Cornwall. June 15 2024.

Dancing, Food, and Environmental Awareness

Saturday evening saw beach-goers don headphones for a sandy silent disco, supported by Korev. Becky Palmer, marketing manager for St Austell Brewery, noted, “It was great seeing so many families enjoying their weekend here at Watergate Bay. We were pleased to be able to support such an important community event and to help keep people dancing into the evening. What better place for a disco than on the sand?”

The Discovery Zone, supported by Land Rover Discovery, offered talks, workshops, and crafts centred around ocean protection and environmental awareness. Jamie Kirk, JLR UK brand partnerships manager, shared his pride in supporting the event, saying, “We’re really proud to be part of Arts on the Beach this year, a fantastic event celebrating creativity, the outdoors, and the spirit of adventure that could be seen in all those who took part.”

Closing with a Celebration

The festival concluded with a fancy dress parade of flags in honour of National Lobster Day, led by City of Lights Truro with their lobster lantern, created with the help of children and their families throughout the weekend. The procession was accompanied by the eco-friendly junk band, Weapons of Sound, whose inventive instruments provided a lively soundtrack as the sun set on a successful weekend.

If you’re interested in supporting Arts on the Beach and helping us keep it open to all, please contact Laura Smith at lauras@watergatebay.co.uk.