Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival and Midsummer Fish Fest in need of new operators

The Midsummer Fish Fest takes place towards the end of June annually, and the Seafood & Wine Festival runs during throughout the third weekend in September.

The council said both events attract thousands of visitors to the town each year.

The authority normally runs them but it announced it is looking for others to take on the organisation and running of the two events.

Cllr Andy Batsford, lead councillor for tourism and culture, said: “We know our fish festivals have been extremely popular with both residents and visitors, with a fantastic mix of local traders and great music.

“Hastings Borough Council has built these events into important key moments in the year that attract thousands of visitors to our town to celebrate our fishing heritage and the incredible food we have here in our sea, cafes and restaurants. But now we feel that it’s time to set them free, re-imagine them and we’re looking to the Hastings community, local businesses or entrepreneurs to take these events to the next level.

“This is a great opportunity to use our existing well-established fish festival branding and dates to continue and expand these events. It would be great if local traders, businesses and eateries could also be included in these weekends.

“We are asking anyone who is interested to contact Kevin Boorman at [email protected] for more information.”