Events
Events 2024
If you would like to submit an event listing on our website for Visit Great Yarmouth please click on this link https://www.visitgreatyarmouth.co.uk/information/submit-event
For 2024 we funded and supported the following events
BIG Wednesdays – Great Yarmouth Fireworks -24th July – 28th August
BIG Tuesdays – Hemsby Fireworks – 23rd July – 27th August
Out There Festival – 30th May – 2nd June – Great Yarmouth
Wheels Festival – 29th – 30th June – Great Yarmouth
Festival of Bowls – 27th August – 22nd September – Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth Arts Festival – 14th – 21st September – Great Yarmouth
Caister Carnival Fun Day – 29th – 30th June – Caister
Gorleston Clifftop Gala Fireworks – 4th August – Gorleston
Gorleston Bandstand Concerts – May to September – Gorleston
Hopton Party in the Park – 15th June – Hopton
Comic Con Mini – 28th May – Great Yarmouth Seafront
Gorleston Christmas Switch On – 17th November – Gorleston
Coastal Path Celebrations – 24th September – Great Yarmouth
East Coast Pirates (Car Club) Birthday Bash – 1st September Great Yarmouth
Classic and Super Cars Mega Meet – 14th – 15th September
Lowest Modified and Cruisers Show – April/May (date tbc)
October Half Term Fireworks – October half term
Events 2023
For 2023, we invested over £220,000 in supporting the following events.
BIG Wednesdays – Great Yarmouth Fireworks -26th July – 30th August
BIG Tuesdays – Hemsby Fireworks – 25th July – 29th August
Out There Festival – 15th – 17th September – Great Yarmouth
Wheels Festival – 1st – 2nd July – Great Yarmouth
Festival of Bowls – 27th August – 22nd September – Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth Arts Festival – 22nd- 30th September – Great Yarmouth
NRSA (National Street Rod Association) Fun on the Beach – 3rd – 4th June – Great Yarmouth
Caister Carnival Fun Day – 24th – 25th June – Caister
Gorleston Clifftop Gala Fireworks – 29th – 30th July – Gorleston
Gorleston Bandstand Concerts – May to September – Gorleston
ADP Riot Tour Summer 2023 – Great Yarmouth
Hopton Party in the Park – 15th July – Hopton
Comic Con Mini – 30th May – Great Yarmouth Seafront
Gorleston Christmas Switch On – November 2023 (Date TBC) – Gorleston
Coastal Path Celebrations – 24th September – Great Yarmouth
East Coast Pirates (Car Club) Birthday Bash – 3rd September Great Yarmouth
Gorleston Seafront Festival – 10th June – Gorleston
Oct Half Term Fireworks – 25th Oct – Great Yarmouth
Events 2022
Some of the Events we supported in 2022
For 2022 we invested in the following events
Gorleston Bandstand Concerts – Sundays May through to September 25th
Comic Con Mini Marine Parade Great Yarmouth – 31st May
Caister Carnival Fun day – 26th May
The Queen’s Jubilee Fireworks – 2nd June
Gorleston Seafront Festival – 11th June
Great Yarmouth Wheels Festival Marine Parade Great Yarmouth – 2nd & 3rd July
Great Yarmouth Arts Festival Brochure – 7th – 9th July
MdZ Estate Model Village Tour – 14th – 29th August
Great Yarmouth BIG WEDNESDAYS Every Wednesday in August
Hemsby Summer Fireworks – Every Tuesday from 26th July – 30th August
Gorleston Cliff Top Fireworks – 31st July
4Bs Family Fun day & Classic Car Show Burgh Castle – 6th August
Great Yarmouth Bowls Festival – 28th August – 23rd September
East Coast Pirates Car Club Marine Parade Great Yarmouth – 4th September
The Out There Festival – 16th – 18th September
Toffs and Hogg’s Car Show Marine Parade Great Yarmouth – 24th September
Fire on Water – 22nd – 28th October Central Beach Great Yarmouth
Big Mini Golf Tournament – 14th May – 21st September
Gorleston Christmas Switch On – November 22nd
Please click on the links above to find out more about the individual events.
Events 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic again saw a significant amount of event activity postponed or cancelled across the county, below are the projects we awarded funding to in 2021.
Out There Festival – The highly successful free annual festival of international outdoor arts and circus , now in its 13th year
Belton Fun Day – The event has successfully run for 5 years. It is a free entry event (car park charge applies) that has grown every year and now attracts 3500-4000 people.
YARMONICS – festival of sonic art responding to sites in Great Yarmouth that has a main event in September. 2021 will be its 4th year. Encouraging visitors to visit different locations and experience Great Yarmouth differently.
Fire On The Water – is a new innovative high quality major Fire Installation Experience consisting of a trail of newly created artistic fire sculptures in the Venetian Waterways. The trail is a one way loop of 1.1km (shorter route option also), illuminated through a variety of creative fire and light pieces
East Coast Pirates Birthday Bash – a car show held on 5th September 2021 with many varieties of cars, hot rods, motorbikes and specialist vehicles with live music from a designated stage, outside bar and BBQ .
Events 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic saw almost all event activity postponed or cancelled across the county, Great Yarmouth was no exception, below are the projects we had planned to fund in 2020.
The GYTABIA Board met late in 2019 to strategically score projects from all areas of the borough which were submitted for funding support.
Cancelled – Caister ‘Village Experience’ – Sunday 28th June 2020 11am to 4pm. Local businesses having stalls, inflatables, poultry show, pet show, arena entertainment, food & drink and fancy dress competition to be held on the King George V playing field in Caister
Cancelled – Burgh Castle Village Fun Day – Sunday 28th June 2020. Burgh Castle is home to 5 major holiday parks so the event is directed at both locals and holidaymakers alike with a varied afternoon of entertainment.
Cancelled – Wheels Festival – 4th & 5th July 2020 – A ‘wheels’ based festival showcasing a wide variety of motorised and pedal driven vehicles located along the length of Great Yarmouth seafront.
Cancelled – Great Yarmouth Summer Fireworks – A very popular evening which will commence Wednesday 22nd July 2020 and run for seven weeks until the 2nd September, seafront attractions are open late and fireworks displays start at 10pm.
Cancelled – Hemsby Summer Fireworks – a fantastic free firework display on Tuesday nights on Hemsby beach during the school holidays from Tuesday 28th July 2020 to Tuesday 1st September plus an extra firework spectacular on Sunday 24th May 2020
Cancelled – Gorleston Clifftop Festival & Fireworks – 25th & 26th July 2020 – The fireworks funded by GYTABIA a finale for the Gorleston festival which is a family orientated event of live music, childrens activities, comedy & fun fairs located all along Gorleston clifftop
Cancelled – Belton Funday & Classic Car Show – 1st August 2020 11am – 5pm. Classic Car Show and also a community fun day where local businesses can trade with food and drink on offer.
Cancelled East Coast Pirates Birthday Bash – 1st September 2020 – Hundreds of custom cars along Marine Parade at Great Yarmouth with live music and street entertainment
Cancelled – Maritime Festival – 12th & 13th September – A celebration of the rich maritime heritage of the Borough incorporating visiting vessels, maritime music, food and crafts.
Events 2019
We supported the following event in 2019
Great Yarmouth Summer Fireworks – A very popular evening which commenced Wednesday 24 July 2019 and ran for six weeks. seafront attractions were open late and fireworks displays started at 10pm.
Hemsby Summer Fireworks – a fantastic free aerial firework display held on Tuesday nights during the school holidays from Tuesday 23rd July 2019 to Tuesday 27th August 2019 plus an extra firework spectacular on Sunday 26th May 2019
Hopton ‘Picnic in the Park’ – Sunday 14th June 2019 12 midday to 5pm. Brass band playing on the Recreation Ground, Lowestoft Road, Hopton-on-sea NR31 9AH. Sponsored in conjunction with Cozens UK
Caister ‘Village Experience’ – Sunday 30th June 2019 11am to 4pm. Local businesses having stalls, inflatables, poultry show, pet show, arena entertainment, food & drink and fancy dress competition was held on the King George V playing field in Caister
Maritime Festival – 7th & 8th September – Quayside event celebrating the Maritime history and heritage of Great Yarmouth.
Burgh Castle Village Fun Day – Sunday 23rd June 2019. Burgh Castle is home to 5 major holiday parks so the event was directed at both locals and holidaymakers alike with a varied afternoon of entertainment. Sponsored in conjunction with Great Yarmouth Caravans
Custom Cars Fun Run – 1st September – Hundreds of Hot Rod cars at Great Yarmouth racecourse then travelled round and visited different areas of the borough – and stopped at each of the locations finally arriving on Great Yarmouth seafront in the afternoon until the evening.
Wheels Festival – 6th & 7th July – A ‘wheels’ based festival showcased a wide variety of motorised and pedal driven vehicles located along the length of Great Yarmouth seafront. https://www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/whats-on/wheels-festival.aspx
Gorleston Clifftop Festival & Fireworks – 27th & 28th July – The fireworks funded by GYTABIA a finale for the Gorleston festival which is a family orientated event of live music, childrens activities, comedy & fun fairs located all along Gorleston clifftop https://www.clifftopfestival.info/
Events 2018
We supported the following events in 2018
Haven Great Yarmouth Airshow – 16th & 17th June 2018 This was the Biggest event we staged (and quite possibly the biggest ever Event held in Norfolk) . 170,000 people attended the two day event, with visitors filling the bed spaces within a 20 mile radius of Great Yarmouth. For further details please visit the official website https://www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/air-show/
Wheels Festival – 7th & 8th July – A ‘wheels’ based festival showcasing a wide variety of motorised and pedal driven vehicles located along the length of Great Yarmouth seafront. https://www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/whats-on/wheels-festival.aspx
Maritime Festival – 8th & 9th September – all about celebrating the wonderful maritime heritage that Great Yarmouth has to offer.
National Street Rod Association Fun Run – 1st to the 3rd June – Hundreds of Hot Rod cars starting at Great Yarmouth racecourse then travelled round and visited different areas of the borough – and stopped at each of the locations finally arriving on Great Yarmouth seafront late afternoon until the evening. http://www.nsra.org.uk/events/
Burgh Castle Village Fun Day – Sunday 24th June 12pm to 5pm. Local businesses to participate by having stalls and games for both locals and visitors alike
Caister ‘Village Experience’ – Sunday 24th June 2018 11am to 4pm. Local businesses having stalls, inflatables, poultry show, pet show, arena entertainment, food & drink and fancy dress competition to be held on the King George V playing field in Caister
Filby in Bloom from Spring through to Autumn. Filby is know nationally for it’s flower display and receives many visitors who come to see the magnificent array of flowers throughout the village. Gardens are also open for for a weekend in July for further details please visit their website http://www.filbyinbloom.org.uk/
Gorleston Clifftop Festival & Fireworks – 28th & 29th July – The fireworks funded by GYTABIA is a fitting end for the Gorleston festival which is a family orientated event of live music, childrens activities, comedy & fun fairs located all along Gorleston clifftop. For further details please visit their website https://clifftopfestival.info/
Gorleston High Street Christmas Switch On – Sunday 25th November 11am until 7pm An enormously successful event for locals, visitors and traders alike is the Christmas switch on and finale fireworks.
Great Yarmouth Summer Fireworks – continued in 2018, and commenced on Wednesday 25 July 2018 and ran for six weeks with live entertainment on Sealife Centre Gardens. seafront attractions were open late and fireworks displays started at 10pmfor further details visithttps://www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/whats-on/fireworks.aspx
Hemsby Summer Fireworks – a fantastic free aerial firework display on Tuesday nights during the school summer holidays on Beach Road Hemsby
Events 2017
We supported the following events in 2017
Hemsby Firework Displays – 1 display Sunday May 28th and a further 6 displays on a Tuesday evening from July 25th through to August 29th. Hemsby reports a massive increase in footfall during the firework displays – James Gray – Lost World
Martham Scarecrow Festival 30th April & 1st May 2017 – A community village activity providing the chance for residents and visitors to join in with the various activities centred around the scarecrow theme. Julie from Martham Scarecrow group said “Support for a Martham Scarecrow Festival has received BID funding for the past 2 years. the funding has enabled us to advertise the event both within the village and in the borough”
Caister Village Experience 25th June 2017 Caister Playing Field – A hoped to be annual festival featuring a procession, carnival queen, poultry & pet show and lots more.
Great Yarmouth Fireworks 2017 – 6 displays on a Wednesday evening 19th July – 30th August and 1 on 26th October plus accompanying roadshow and publicity.
Wheels Festival 8th & 9th July 2017 – A ‘wheels’ based festival showcasing a wide variety of motorised and pedal driven vehicles located along the length of Great Yarmouth seafront.
Gorleston Clifftop Festival – 29th – 30th July 2017 – Free family orientated festival with live music, stalls and activities on Gorleston Clifftop. GYTABIA to fund the fireworks at the close of the festival. The festival brings everyone in the community together and attracts people from further afield and raises the profile of Gorleston year on year.
Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival 9th & 10th September 2017 – A celebration of the rich maritime heritage of the Borough incorporating visiting vessels, maritime music, food and crafts.
Out There Festival 16th & 17th September 2017 – A fabulous off the wall festival with a circus flavour.
Events 2016
We supported the Following Events in 2016
Hemsby Firework Displays – 1 display Sunday May 29th and a further 6 displays on a Tuesday evening from July 26th through to August 30th. Hemsby reported a massive increase in footfall during the firework displays – James Gray – Lost World
Martham Scarecrow Festival 1st & 2nd May – A community village activity providing the chance for residents and visitors to join in with the various activities centred around the scarecrow theme. Julie from Martham Scarecrow group said “Support for a Martham Scarecrow Festival has received BID funding for the past 2 years. the funding has enabled us to advertise the event both within the village and in the borough”
Great Yarmouth Arts Festival 4th – 11th June – ten days of visual arts, music and theatre promoting our heritage. Hugh Sturzaker the organiser for the festival said that the funding enabled them to produce a bigger and better festival compared to previous years it also made it possible to advertise the festival to a much wider audience with a resultant increased footfall in the town centre throughout the day
Marcha Popular June 11th – Portugese Community & International day incorporating a parade with contemporary dance followed by a street party.
Beach Volleyball – 25th & 26th June 2016 – Part of the UK Beach Volleyball Tour which visits 5 resort venues each year as qualifying rounds leading up to the season final.
Great Yarmouth Fireworks – 6 displays on a Wednesday evening 27th July – 31st August and 1 on 26th October plus accompanying roadshow and publicity.
National Schools Sailing Regatta Gorleston 25th – 29th July – A sailing week bringing international competitors to Gorleston but also the utilising the whole Borough for further sailing activities. the event organiser said that the GYTABIA support was invaluable with the BID sponsorship helping to make this years national sailing event possible.
Gorleston Clifftop Festival – 30th-31st July – Free family orientated festival with live music, stalls and activities on Gorleston Clifftop. GYTABIA to fund the fireworks at the close of the festival. The festival brings everyone in the community together and attracts people from further afield and raises the profile of Gorleston year on year.
Hopton Summer Fete & carnival Procession Recreation Ground Hopton 21st August – Musical theatre, stalls, arena events, carnival procession, flower demonstrations and much more. For the first year the event was able to provide something different for the visitors to the area with funding spent on a flower marquee which gained interest from local residents and visitors from far away.
Wheels Festival 3rd & 4th September 2016 – A ‘wheels’ based festival showcasing a wide variety of motorised and pedal driven vehicles located along the length of Great Yarmouth seafront.
Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival 10th – 11th September – A celebration of the rich maritime heritage of the Borough incorporating visiting vessels, maritime music, food and crafts.
Out There Festival 17th & 18th September 2016 – A fabulous off the wall festival with a circus flavour. With the support of the GYTABIA Out There have been able to secure £70,000 from the Arts Council England which ensured the festival is of sufficient scale and scope to continue to drive visitors from across the country to Great Yarmouth.
Brush with the Broads 22nd – 26th September – A non profit making painting festival with workshops, demonstrations and prize exhibition based throughout the Broads and also in Great Yarmouth. BID funding has enabled a Brush with the Broads to be promoted at Art Events nationally.
Great Yarmouth Film Festival – Development of an annual film and television festival celebrating the heritage and diversity of the Borough and the East of England.
Gorleston Christmas Switch On Event – A Christmas tree light switch on event with entertainment, stalls, attractions & food in Gorleston High Street culminating in a firework display.
Filby in Bloom – Funding contribution in funding towards the magnificent Filby in Bloom spectacular
Events 2015
We supported the following events in 2015
Great Yarmouth Arts Festival – 5th – 14th June 2015
In 2014 a new Arts Festival was launched and staged around various venues in Great Yarmouth. The Board are keen to support groups with a passion to create and develop new initiatives and were therefore pleased to support the 2015 event.
Beach Volleyball – 27th & 28th June 2015
For over 5 years UK Beach Volleyball have held one of their qualifying heats on Central Beach in Great Yarmouth. In a break with tradition 2015 saw the event move to Gorleston Beach for their weekend tournament in June which attracted some of the top UK beach volleyball players from the UK and abroad.
Gorleston Cliff Top Festival – 25th/26th July 2015
For many years the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority sponsored the fireworks at the end of the annual Cliff Top Festival in Gorleston. The new GYTABIA Board unanimously agreed to continue this support for 2015.
Wheels Festival Marine Parade – 12th/13th September 2015
To lay the foundations for a growing annual 2-day ‘wheel-based’ event to capitalise on the existing reputation as a venue visited by numerous vehicle clubs and societies. It is hoped in the future that venues throughout the Borough can be used as overnight bases prior to scheduled vehicle parades along the seafront.
Fireworks Great Yarmouth & Hemsby 2015
Weekly firework display for 6 weeks of the summer in both Hemsby & Great Yarmouth
Brush with the Broads 22nd – 26th September 2015 – A non profit making painting festival with workshops, demonstrations and prize exhibition based throughout the Broads and also in Great Yarmouth. BID funding has enabled a Brush with the Broads to be promoted at Art Events nationally.
Gorleston Christmas Switch On Event –
A Christmas tree light switch on event with entertainment, stalls, attractions & food in Gorleston High Street culminating in a firework display.
Filby in Bloom – Contribution in funding to the magnificent Filby in Bloom spectacular