Visitor numbers up as thousands flock to Lytham Festival

Work continued this week on setting up the main stage

The appearance this year of major stars like Brian Adams and Noel Gallagher, plus a bigger bill of acts than ever, have led to ticket sell-outs and huge crowds at the event, which began on Monday and is staged by promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

It is thought this will have an even bigger snowball effect on tourism after last year’s event led to people coming back just to see the town itself.

And with a similar thing happening in St Annes, where the town’s kite festival has pulled in participants from across the world, the area is enjoying a welcome visitor bonanza worth thousands of pounds to the local economy.

Fylde tourism chairman, Coun Cheryl Little, said: “We are a visitor economy and the effect these events have is insurmountable.

“With the extra people coming in, the bars, the grocers, the fish mongers. cafes and restaurants all feel the benefit, indirectly.

“Apart from bringing in more people at the time of the events, there is evidence these people like what they see and come back later in the year.The calibre of acts at Lytham Festival is incredible - with Bryan Adam’s the event’s gone international.”

Coun Little said the effect was similar to what Leicester was experiencing since people started flocking to see the city’s Richard III display, with repeat visitors returning again.

Lytham Business Partnership chairman Denize Ashton said: “It is particularly good that visitors are seeing the area at its best, thanks to the wonderful work on the flowers beds.

“Until Sunday the shops in Lytham will be running a Name That Tune competition, organised through the Partnership, and that is proving really popular.”