A MAJOR new event is to be staged this September on Whitehaven Harbour with platinum selling pop-rock band Scouting For Girls announced as the first headliner.

Whitehaven Alive is to be held from September 9-11 featuring household names, live entertainment, food and drink villages, Cumbrian producers, and street theatre.

Throughout Scouting For Girls’ immensely successful career they’ve sold over two million albums, two million singles, had four Brit Award nominations, an Ivor Novello nomination, had four top ten singles, sold-out Wembley Arena, The Royal Albert Hall and most recently sold-out two nights at The London Palladium and had a series of hit singles all of which were inescapable radio smashes.

News and Star: HEADLINE: Scouting for Girls are the first headliner to be announced at the festivalHEADLINE: Scouting for Girls are the first headliner to be announced at the festival (Image: SJM)

Scouting For Girls continue to prove they are unstoppable and are a firm favourite on the festival circuit, they will headline Whitehaven Alive on Saturday,September 10.

The event which is in partnership with Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners is set to welcome tens of thousands of eager entertainment seekers across the weekend and aims to boost the local economy and raise funds to put back into the improvements around Whitehaven Harbour.

Organisers say they will rally round local businesses in the town to get involved and be part of a packed weekend, as Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners’ Chief Executive John Baker explains: “The overall vision is for Whitehaven Alive to be a landmark event to celebrate our locality post-COVID aiming to assist in the recovery for local businesses and residents and inviting those people and businesses to participate where possible, bring people together and express the sense of place and recovery for Whitehaven.

“Whitehaven Harbour and town have such deep and varied histories to tell, and our communities have such incredible passion and sense for this place. Whitehaven Alive aims to bring all of that together to enable us all to enjoy a wonderful celebration post pandemic.”

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Co-founder Oliver Hodgson said: “This event is truly exciting and one of great significance, that we aim will become an annual feature in the West Cumbrian calendar.

“Whitehaven Harbour is a stunning venue. We’ve seen over the last couple of years the sheer significance the harbour holds in people’s hearts, with Whitehaven Alive we can add to that and work with sectors that have been greatly impacted by the pandemic.

“We promise this will be a weekend not to be forgotten, a date we are sure people will put in their diaries to join us for a weekend of fun, excitement, and what will be a fantastic showcase of Cumbria.

“Scouting For Girls are perfect for Saturday evening, entertaining us all with the picturesque harbour as the backdrop, a fantastic sunset and the sounds of ‘She’s So Lovely’ – what more could you want?”

Andrea Winders co-founder added: “Whitehaven is a gem of a town, and to be able to host this event on the harbour will be a chance to showcase its best points and celebrate with residents and visitors.”

Tickets are on sale now for the Queens Dock concert and are available at whitehavenalive.com More acts and announcements are to be made in the coming weeks.

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