Three day beach festival awaits green light from council

Richard Youle Local Democracy Reporter

A three day family-oriented music festival planned for a popular sandy beach is awaiting the go-ahead to take place in 2024.

Tom Job, the organiser of Tunes in the Bay, has told councillors it would be a family event with top named artists who wouldn’t attract trouble.

Mr Job is hoping to organise an event on Swansea beach for up to 9,999 people each day within a fenced area of the beach between The Secret Beach Bar & Kitchen and the Cenotaph.

His premises licence application was discussed at a council licensing sub-committee meeting, which also heard from South Wales Police and the authority’s licensing and pollution control departments.

Family event

Addressing the sub-committee, Mr Job, director of Tunes in the Dunes Ltd, said: “We want to create a family event, and something that’s good for Swansea and good for the community.”

He said acts such as Busted, McFly, The Kooks, Scouting for Girls and Ocean Colour Scene had played at similar music festivals he had put on. He said: “It’s sing-along, happy, fun music.”

Mr Job, of Cornwall, said he steered clear of drum and bass-type acts which he claimed “attract trouble”.

Asked by Cllr Cheryl Philpott why he’d chosen Swansea as a potential venue, he replied: “It’s nearby, it shares similarities to Cornwall, and we’re always looking for other sites. I think the beach is in a lovely spot. I just thought we would give it a go.” He added: “Financially for us it could be a great event, and for Swansea as well.”

The application proposes a Friday to Sunday event from noon to midnight, with live music and the sale of alcohol from noon to 11pm, and late-night refreshment from 11pm to 11.30pm.

There would be a main stage and a smaller stage, plus DJ booths, activities for young people, food stalls, bars, and toilets – all within an enclosed 180m by 60m site – although the dimensions could change depending on ticket numbers sold.

Police concerns

Police had concerns about the number of people who would congregate on the beach outside the enclosed area and its proximity to the sea, road safety, and the overall number of summer events on the seafront and in Singleton Park.

Present at the sub-committee meeting was police licensing officer Chris Dix, who said amendments had recently been agreed by the applicant which persuaded him to drop the objection.

These included Mr Job submitting comprehensive water safety and traffic management plans including the deployment of beach lifeguards for the duration of the event; agreeing to apply for a one-off festival rather than an annual one, and honouring “all reasonable requests to engage the services” of special (or volunteer) constables to patrol the area.

Pollution control officer Tom Price said noise limits for the event would be at the same decibel level as those held in Singleton Park and that there would be “repercussions” if that level was exceeded.

Kevin Instance, Tunes in the Dunes event safety manager, said security staff and marshals would be provided, that litter pickers would clear up rubbish outside the enclosed area, and that no-one wanted to annoy people living close to the beach-front area. He said: “We want to come back and do it again.”