Bexhill festival will not be returning, organisers announce

Bexhill Festival of the Sea, which was normally held in September, will no longer run due to ‘increased costs’.

The event was last held in 2019 before the Covid pandemic struck.

Hundreds of mermaids gathered on the beach at Bexhill during the festival that year, as the town tried to beat a world record as it attempted to create the world’s largest gathering of mermaids.

The festival was also due to make a comeback last year but ended up being cancelled due to Rother District Council deciding to charge organisers a fee to use the seafront lawns, the festival’s organisers said.

A Rother District Council spokesperson said at the time that the authority was no longer able to support the festival due to a £3 million funding gap in the council’s budget.

The festival’s organisers posted a statement on the festival’s Facebook page on Thursday (November 14) announcing the decision to not hold the event anymore.

The statement said: “The Bexhill Festival of the Sea was a free weekend event celebrating the sea with food and craft stalls, live music, sea angling competitions and a world record challenge for the largest gathering of mermaids. The festival was keen to support local traders, musicians and charities.

“Unfortunately, after nine years the event will not take place again. This is due to the increased costs to run the event. We trust that you will continue to support local traders and respect and protect our marine wildlife.

“The organisers want to say a massive thank you to the wonderful volunteers on our very small committee and volunteers who gave their time and effort during build up and festival days. A big thanks also goes to our sponsors and suppliers.

“We all take this opportunity to thank our visitors for their support though the years and are so pleased that such a good time was had by all.”