The Beached Festival was a free festival held annually in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. After 6 years it had grown to become the biggest free festival in the South Bay of Scarborough. It last took place in 2008.
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The festival started in 2001 as a small gig which gained some interest from local bands and DJs. During the second year The Libertines played without their front man, and things continued from there. In 2005 there were two more days added to the weekend, one of which was a movie night and the other an orchestral night. In 2006 a Big Band played instead of the Orchestra.
To fund the festival a small grant is obtained from Scarborough Borough Council and the rest should be brought in through corporate sponsorship.[1]
As the festival expanded more popular bands appeared on the beached stage including The Libertines, The Fratellis, Electric Eel Shock (Who appeared in 2003 and then returned in 2005 to play with The West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra), The Enemy, Thunder, Parva (now the kaiser chiefs), The Bluetones and The Quireboys between the years 2001 and 2006.
2007 saw a major breakthrough for the festival, with big name sponsors, paying for national media adverts in the NME. The festival yet saw established acts such as Foals, Frank Turner, One Night Only, The Hoosiers, Amy Macdonald, DARTZ!, Alabama 3 and The Paddingtons gracing the stage, with Nine Black Alps and Inme headlining the event.
The event was set back slightly, by predicted high tides, which forced the 1500 strong crowd off the beach, onto the road for nearly an hour and a half.
The 2008 festival saw acts such as The Ryes, Flamboyant Bella, Be Quiet. Shout Loud!, Sergeant, Natty, The Paddingtons and Ebony Bones performing. One Night Only and Dodgy were the headliners. Over 35,000 people walked through the site, with nearly 3,000 people on site at any time.
An alleged sexual assault occurred at the 2008 festival,[2] the organisers cooperated thoroughly with the North Yorkshire Police investigations, which led to a Crown Court hearing.
At the time of the incident organisers were holding emergency meetings with the concessions and catering firm (who run T in the Park) who were disappointed with the turn out and the over exaggerated nature of the event. The firm packed up on the Saturday night leaving the beach without any catering provisions.
F10, a company who helped raise the funds for the festival to take place, refused to pay the organisers over £30,000 which was gained from sponsorship of the event. This left H20 Beached Ltd, the company who ran the festival heavily in debt. The company was liquidated in May 2009.[3]
The festival had been run by volunteers, many of whom were left out of pocket.
The likelihood of a festival like the beached festival happening on the South Bay in Scarborough again in the near future is remote. In 2009 Scarborough Borough Council and The North Yorkshire Police refused to give permission for the event, partly because of safety & public disorder concerns, and because of financial issues remaining outstanding.
The organiser told the press that the event would not be going ahead because of his new found paternity, although the Scarborough Evening News reported later that H20: Beached Ltd had been liquidated, owing £38,000 to various creditors.
Rumours of a 2010 festival started on facebook when the organiser suggested a date for the festival, however, permission was not given, and the Open Air Theatre, who were also rumoured to play host to the event did not host it. However, the event is set to be revived at the Open Air Theatre in August 2011, albeit on a smaller scale.