THE community came together to see out the summer in style in Newquay.

Hundreds of people attended the inaugural Look Out Festival held at Beachfield Gardens, Eothen Gardens and at Towan Beach, the Harbour Festival at the Boathouse, The Big Newquay Market as well as Newquay Town Council’s Summer Finale on the Killacourt as part of the Big Day Out on Saturday, September 6.

The Summer Finale featured Rewind Radio entertaining the crowd all day from the bandstand, along with five free rides and bouncy castles including wipeout, helter-skelter, an assault course, trampolines, teacups and a bar area.

Various live music and cookery demonstration were organised as part of the Harbour Festival, which got underway with Sharp’s Atlantic beach clean. Crowds were entertained by acts including The Clams, Will Powell, Adam Parfitt, Ashley Harding and Leonore Francess May.

Attendees were also able to sample some of the fine food rustled up during the cooking demonstrations staged by Tom Hannon, Mark O‘Hagan and Marisco Paella. An Oyster Shicking and Trevarthian Gin event was additionally held.

The Look Out Festival organised by Groundswell boasted a jam-packed programme of shows, street theatre, circus performances, installations, activities and community stalls.

Shows included Wipeout by Cscape & Off the Wall Aerial, Wire Attire by Sam Goodburn, The Sea Show by Squashbox Theatre, No Time To Waste by H & T Creative, Thingamabob by Matt Pang, Love Juice by Ethel Darling, Lafrowda by St Just Rare Birds Society and Surprises on Stilts by the Lonely Clown Club.

Activities organised included Splat art tent by Youth Art Connect, Beach Labyrinth, Juicy Roots Corner, Blystra Arts Making Space, Newquay Volleyball, Newquay Chess, City of Lights Flag Printing, STEAM Co and the Lonely Clown Club Circus Workshop.

There were also performances from Scratch Choir, 4Motion CIC, The Clam, Newquay Samba, Dalooj, Bounce Dance Academy, Move Dance Academy and storytelling by Naomi Jones.

Dicky Souray, the festival director for Look Out, said: “We were bowled over by the response to our first year’s iteration of Look Out.

“We were blessed with incredible weather and received overwhelmingly positive feedback across the board. It was particularly heartening to hear that what people appreciated were the very things we had intended to achieve. This was celebrating the town, bringing people together, shining a light on underused public spaces, providing something for all ages, giving an end-of season ‘gift’ to residents as well as visitors and creating a programme of a perfect blend of local and international talent.

“A massive shout out to the volunteers, supporters, funders and favour-givers who helped it all come together. We intend for Look Out to happen annually, and would encourage anyone who enjoyed it this year to get in touch to see if they can help make it happen again.”

Mayor Drew Creek said: “The town council delivered another fantastic event on the Killacourt, perfectly complemented by the Shop Small market delivered in partnership with Newquay BID. The high street was packed and buzzing.

“We also had the wonderful Look Out festival, delivered by Groundswell’s Dicky Souray on Saturday. Combining events happening on Towan, Beachfield, and at the Eothen, it all contributed to a truly brilliant atmosphere in town.

“A huge thank you to all the organisers, volunteers, and everyone who came out to support. This is exactly what our community is about: bringing people together, not dividing them.”