Sea Bangor: Could popular festival be back on?
By Sarah Curran
THE Sea Bangor Festival, which appeared to have been cancelled for next year, could be back on the cards.
As the Spectator went to press last night, Ards and North Down councillors were preparing to debate a new proposal which could see the return of the popular summer festival at a different time of year.
The festival had been controversially lined up for axing earlier in the month at a meeting of the council’s Place and Prosperity Committee, with officials citing work commencing on the Marine Gardens phase of the Queen’s Parade project as the reason.
But following lobbying by Bangor Chamber of Commerce to get the festival back on the calendar for next year, it is understood a new proposal was debated last night (Wednesday) at a meeting of full council, asking officers to bring back a report on how Sea Bangor could be delivered within the limitation of works being carried out at Queen’s Parade.
While there had been proposals to host an autumn event instead of the axed summer festival usually held in June, last night’s proposal instead suggested Sea Bangor was moved elsewhere in the summer diary next year.
Supportive of the proposal, the president of Bangor’s Chamber of Commerce, Frank Shivers, described the move as ‘a win’ for the city.
He said he believed an event held in the autumn would be ‘too late’ and a hard sell, having never been calendared before and that keeping Sea Bangor but moving the date within the summer would be more suitable.
Mr Shivers said: “We obviously kicked up big time as this was not going to fly and there was no way we were going to let this happen. We were going to lobby and lobby and lobby.
“There was a big backlash on Facebook, so I think there were a lot of residents who were a bit peeved about it because it is attended by a lot of residents.”
Mr Shivers added that he believed the decision was unfairly brought to the earlier Place and Prosperity meeting as a ‘fait accompli’, with no prior discussions or suggestions on working around the festival.
However, with the new proposal brought to council last night, Mr Shivers said he felt that the pleas of local traders and residents had been heard.
Having held a number of meetings in the interim about the controversial proposal to axe the summer festival, Mr Shivers said he had been told there were three reasons it was believed it could not go ahead.
The first reason he said he was cited was a spacing issue with the Queen’s Parade development commencing, however Mr Shiver’s suggested in pedestrianising High Street and utilising Ward Park, there would be ample space for Sea Bangor to go ahead.
He continued that he had also been told there may not be a budget to hold the event, however Mr Shivers once again pointed out that there had been a suggestion of a budgeted autumn event running instead of Sea Bangor.
Finally he said the last reason given for axing the festival was due to timing, with a limited events team at hand, which he believes can be resolved by moving the festival from its usual spot but within the perimeters of the summer calendar.
Although hopeful that last night’s proposal was agreed, Mr Shivers said he was working on back-up plans to ensure Sea Bangor was held.
He said: “If it doesn’t go through, we are drawing up a proposal to run it ourselves, pulling together a cooperative of an events company, potentially Open House, the Chamber and the business community, all getting together to run an event similar to Sea Bangor.”
UUP councillor Craig Blaney lent his support to the Chamber of Commerce, saying that along with other councillors, he had been working to try to ‘keep Sea Bangor alive next year’.
Mr Blaney said: “Businesses in the town were devastated when they heard the news. The Chamber of Commerce has been lobbying hard and I as a councillor for Bangor Central have been working hard with other council colleagues to make sure it can be saved.”
