When I first heard about the Big Ideas by The Sea Festival, it felt BIG and unconventional. A festival of inspirational writers, artists and speakers talking about the town and how it inspired them would not have felt out of place in a big city. Still, for a seaside resort, it made me start to question how much did I really know about Scarborough?
You don’t need to be in the town for long before stumbling past the Stephen Joseph Theatre and, after some quick searching, find out about fantastic writers like Alan Ayckbourn, but when looking at the event lineup, it was clear that I didn’t know enough!
This new festival was a real feast for the imagination, and from the first speakers at the launch event in the old Scarborough Post Office, which has been lovingly restored, I was hooked.
The topics were HUGE, and the delivery by people involved was done so with such ease and charisma, it left me with a thirst to see more!
In fact, one of the artist’s installations discussed is at Scarborough train station, and as soon as the event finished, I rushed to see it….and it didn’t disappoint.
I have kept following the different events over the last week and felt that it really provided a positive opportunity to reflect on what we have and what could be. The town and its many successes may have inspired many events, but I’m now excited to see how the event itself goes on to inspire different events that celebrate our culture and assets.
Well done, Big Ideas by The Sea; I can’t wait for 2022 and what comes next!
