Everything you need to know about Lowestoft's First Light Festival
The festival celebrates art, culture and music on the summer solstice
People are being invited to celebrate the summer solstice on Suffolk's coastline as First Light Festival returns to Lowestoft today and tomorrow (June 20 and 21 2026).
The free festival, which takes place on South Beach, will once again bring together music, arts, wellbeing activities, food and family entertainment, culminating in a programme of dawn events marking the longest day of the year.
This year, the festival falls on the summer solstice itself, a moment organisers say makes the occasion even more special.
Genevieve Christie, Chief Executive of First Light Festival, said: "It's brilliant that it's on the summer solstice this year. It's going to be wonderful to be seeing the midsummer sunrise in the most easterly place in the country on South Beach in Lowestoft.
"We're really excited. We've got a great programme for Dawn and we hope that lots of people will join us for some fantastic music, for yoga, for a fish feast. It should be wonderful."
"A kind of elemental global experience"
The festival has become a fixture in Suffolk's cultural calendar, celebrating midsummer in Britain's most easterly town and drawing visitors from across the region.
Ms Christie said the event's unique location and focus on sunrise creates a powerful sense of shared experience.
"I think having this midsummer vibe and this year, particularly being on the actual solstice, brings a really wonderful sense of community to the festival because so many people come to take part in, in a way, what feels like a kind of elemental global experience, really," she said.
"Sunrise is such a magical thing. And I think just like people gather at Stonehenge, we're doing it for the East of England."
Among the highlights planned for the early hours of June 21 are an immersive soundscape performance from Jason Singh, sunrise yoga on the beach, a free fish breakfast, the return of Steve Pretty's Shells & Bells performance, and a set from singer-songwriter Tendertwin.
Alongside the dawn celebrations, the festival programme includes live music, dance, comedy, poetry, science activities, wellbeing sessions and family events.
Visitors can also explore Soul Space, hosted by The Chaplaincy Collective, spend time with animals at Pakefield Pastures, take part in wellbeing activities, and attend Moonlit Soundscapes at St Peter and St John Church.
Ms Christie said bringing people together in person has become increasingly important.
"I think the thing about something like First Light and live experiences really underline the need for us as human beings to be together," she said.
"Come with your family, come with your friends, or come alone and feel part of a collective event. That's something that we really try to generate at First Light.
"In the age where so many people are hooked into devices, phones and computers, actually being together means more than ever."
"A boost to the local economy"
The festival also aims to support local artists and businesses while showcasing Lowestoft to new audiences.
"I think a festival like First Light really gives a boost to the local economy," Ms Christie said.
"It's shining a light on all of the cultural organisations, partners, makers, producers and talented people in the area that input into an event like First Light."
As well as the free beach programme, organisers are also promoting a series of ticketed "Sundown" events taking place after the main festival closes each evening, including cabaret, jazz, experimental music and an after-party hosted by DJ Jamz Supernova.
Looking ahead to this year's event, Ms Christie said she hopes visitors leave with a renewed appreciation for both Lowestoft and the role creativity can play in bringing people together.
"I'd like people to take away from First Light that they might have discovered Lowestoft and its beach as a wonderful location if they haven't been before," she said.
"I think a sense of being uplifted by culture and creativity and sharing that with friends and family, and that they'll want to come again."
First Light Festival takes place on Lowestoft's South Beach on June 20 and 21. More information and the full programme are available on the festival website.