After a long music drought, South Tyneside Festival will be back this year with a summer-long programme that is out to make up for those two cancelled years due to the pandemic.
And fans have welcomed its newly-announced line-up which has managed to secure some of the names who had been due to perform - including Will Young, The South and Shalamar - and also adds something new to the mix.
The free festival will run from June until August with a packed programme of live music, entertainment and family events. In a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, the open-air Sunday Concerts in the Bents Park will be back with performances on July 10, 17, 24 and 31 .
Read more: New festival to make a North Tyneside debut in May
Will Young will take to the stage on July 10 while Ella Henderson will be joining The South on July 17 and Shalamar will share a July 31 slot with The Fizz. Among the responses to the news on the South Tyneside festival's Facebook page was "Will Young!! Ella Henderson!! Fantastic! We must come to South Shields!!" and "absolutely brilliant for South Tyneside to have this back".
Another said: "I love Will Young, think I'm going through a very late teen crush!"
Those who had bought tickets to see them in 2020 are told these will remain valid for the rescheduled dates too.
A new addition to the concert series will Dance Revival, featuring Whigfield, Sonique, D:Ream, Phats & Small and Kelly Llorenna on July 24.
And fans responded: "Sounds fantastic especially Dance Revival, total old skool" and "Booked for dance revival and the shalamar events ...cant wait, fun times have been a long time coming."
Thanks to Arts Council funding, community events will be back too, including the popular Summer Parade on July 2, when the local community is expected to turn out on the streets to join the carnival procession from South Shields Town Hall to Bents Park on the seafront.
Another highlight will be the Proms in the Park the next day, July 3, which will serve up a mix of classical and contemporary music in Bents Park. Adding to that day's seafront attractions will be street theatre and a circus show.
Further along the seafront at Sandhaven, performances at the open-air Amphitheatre will get under way with a showcase of North East talent on Thursday and Saturday evenings in June, except for June 11, and this will be followed by brass bands performances on Sunday afternoons throughout June, July and August.
Local bands will perform at the Victorian bandstand in South Marine Park on most Saturdays between July 23 and September 3. And children's entertainment in the form of Kids Fun Fest will run on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons during August and more fun for young ones and live music will play out in parks and open spaces across the borough.
For more information about the festival keep an eye out here.
