WEYMOUTH beach was in full voice as a coronation concert brought thousands to the seafront on Sunday.
Put on by Weymouth Town Council, the concert was followed by a fireworks display in the bay which wowed crowds into the night.
Live music entertained the thousands of people who enjoyed brilliant sunshine on the beach, with many joining in with well-known tunes and dancing on the sand.
The event was officially opened by Weymouth mayor, Cllr Ann Weaving, at midday before a plethora of local music talent took to the makeshift stage on the western side of the beach opposite Alexandra Gardens.
Acts included Wessex Musical Theatre, Dorset for Singing, Ed Hintze, Weymouth Bay Rockers and John Stone before the fireworks took centre stage as the sunshine gave way.
A cardboard cut-out of King Charles sat next to the stage which was adorned by a Union Jack as crowds sang along to famous tunes on a warm afternoon as Weymouth joined in with the historic Royal celebration.
King Charles was officially crowned at Westminster Abbey on the Saturday morning and Weymouth Town Council clerk Jane Biscombe felt the Dorset town knew how to celebrate such a momentous occasion.
“It just makes me so proud of Weymouth and how it can pull together for something like this,” she told the Dorset Echo.
“Seeing people enjoying the sun, the music, having a cocktail, burger, all the kids dancing, makes me proud, and huge thanks to our beach team and staff for putting this together. Finding that one little sunny day was amazing.”
Ms Biscombe was unsure how many people the event would attract due to the uncertain weather over the coronation weekend, but was amazed with the outcome on Sunday.
Weymouth seafront and car parks were packed with locals and holidaymakers making the most of the town’s amenities and the high temperatures.
“Once we knew it was sunny we thought we are going to have a great day today,” she said. “And there were just so many people – it was like the height of summer. It was fabulous.
“Feedback has been really good, so we are definitely going to think about how we build on this and do more free events for the community like this.
“Weymouth does celebration and partying so well so it is not a surprise; there is street parties happening all over, volunteering going on, a massive party at the Marsh [on Saturday]. There was so much going on. There was something for everybody this long weekend.”
The Weymouth Youth Council, which Ms Biscombe said is ‘always looking for new members’, was hoping to put on another free beach concert on bank holiday Monday, subject to the weather.
Source: yahoo
