Festival of the Sea is ready to make a splash for 2018 event

The event, now in its seventh year, will take place on West Parade, next to the De La Warr Pavilion, on September 1 and 2.

An undoubted highlight will again be the mermaid gathering. Mermaids and mermen of all ages are welcome, and there will be a Mermaid Parade with trophies awarded in a number of categories.

The parade will take place at 1pm on Saturday at the Colonnade. There will also be a Mermaid Swim, for which advance booking is essential.

The festival’s main aim is to highlight and appreciate wonderful marine life and beaches. As part of this, there will be a number of informative stalls over the weekend, including the Sussex Wildlife Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Mallydams Wood RSPCA Wildlife Centre and others. There will also be dozens of unique gift stalls.

The festival showcases local traders selling delicious dishes from a host of countries and cultures. Guests will have the opportunity to try a range of seafood cuisine and watch cooking demonstrations from specialist chefs.

There is also plenty for children to do, with games, a craft fair and rock painting.

There will be live music and entertainment throughout the day, including Morris dancing and belly dancing.

A special closing concert will be held at the De La Warr Pavilion on Sunday evening, with performances from Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band and Liane Carroll. Tickets are available from www.dlwp.com/event/gigspanner-big-band-liane-carroll/.

As part of the festival, there will be five different angling competitions spanning from September 9 to October 28.

Bexhill Sailing Club will also be hosting an Art Fair, with original seaside and nautical art, from 10am to 3pm.

For more details, visit www.bexhillseafestival.co.uk/. The festival runs from 10am to 6pm on Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday.