A huge seafront procession - which kickstarts the UK’s only free beach festival - is set to welcome two, new large scale puppets this month.
With the leading midsummer celebration now just a couple of weekends away, tens of thousands of visitors are set to hit town as First Light Festival returns to Lowestoft.
And new for First Light Festival 2024 is the unveiling of two large scale puppets -Spectrum: Spirit of Light and Neptune: God of the Sea.
They will be joining Sol: Spirit of Lowestoft, in a procession along the town's seafront - with more than 200 youngsters and community groups uniting to open this year’s festival on Saturday, June 22.
Created in partnership with Norwich City Council, and with additional funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund via East Suffolk Council, the new puppets are set to provide a great addition to the town’s family favourite Sol.
With the characters reflecting First Light’s unique position as the only free beach festival in the UK, celebrating where Britain first sees the midsummer sun, the walking puppets were made by Norwich Puppet Theatre.
After being commissioned they brought in the expertise of Mark Mander - who has been designing, making and performing puppets for the stage and for the BBC, ITV, C4 and Disney UK for more than 20 years - to create Spectrum.
Eloise O’Hare - a large-scale creative designer-maker who has previously worked for festivals, mardi gras, film and theatre in Australia, Indonesia and the UK - worked on Neptune.
As well as appearing at First Light the puppets will also form part of Norwich’s Lord Mayor’s Parade on July 13.
'Something to behold'
Peter Beck, theatre director at Norwich Puppet Theatre, said: "We are delighted to have created two large-scale walking puppets for the First Light Festival and Norwich's Lord Mayor's Parade.
"The puppets have been designed and created to have a real impact with audiences and provide exciting puppetry and carnival experiences for local communities."
Genevieve Christie, CEO of First Light Festival, said: "Seeing what a hit Sol was in 2023 we knew we wanted to grow our puppet family.
"It’s been wonderful to work with Norwich Puppet Theatre and regionally based puppet makers to achieve this, and to train and recruit puppeteers from the local community.
"The vibrancy and impact the three puppets have as a collective will be something to behold."
First Light Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, June 22/23 on Lowestoft’s South Beach.
The opening parade - also featuring Hackney Colliery Band, Marina Samba Band, Funky Feet, the Venue of Performing Arts and the community - will leave East Point Pavilion at 11am on June 22 and travel along the prom to the main festival site for noon to kick off the festival on the beach.
For more information on the line-up, visit its website.
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