Murs relishing return to Yarmouth for new festival

1 hour ago

Laura Devlinand

Edd Smith,Norfolk

News image — Olly Murs said he was excited to return to Great Yarmouth

Guy Levy/BBC Olly Murs sings into a golden microphone in a head and shoulders image. He has short dark hair and is wearing a black suit with silver diamante on the chest, a white shirt and black tie. A black ear piece is in his left ear. — Olly Murs said he was excited to return to Great Yarmouth

Pop star Olly Murs has said he is relishing the chance to relive some childhood memories after being announced as the first headliner for a new four-day festival.

The famous golden sands of Great Yarmouth will host On The Beach, a brand that has brought sell-out shows to Brighton each summer.

Its organisers said they were excited to "spread our wings" and take the festival to its first sister venue from 17 to 20 June.

Asa Morrison of Visit Great Yarmouth said it was a "fantastic opportunity" and a real statement of confidence in the Norfolk seafront as a host for major events.

Murs, who rose to stardom as runner-up on The X Factor in 2009, told BBC Radio Norfolk he could not wait for his show on 18 June.

Born and bred in Witham, Essex, he said some of his favourite family days out as a child were spent at Great Yarmouth and nearby Pleasurewood Hills in Lowestoft.

"It always brings back really good memories, of not being able to get on rides and being told off by my parents for doing something stupid," he said.

"It's a really great place - I look forward to seeing it again as an adult.

"Great Yarmouth is a great part of the world. Norfolk is great, I was up in Cromer at the start of the year to see a friend, it's just such a beautiful place to go and is always an honour to come back and perform."

Sarah Jeynes/BBC A male musician wearing an orange and blue patterned shirt with a black T-shirt and trousers stands with his arms in the air on a stage, pointing a microphone towards a large crowd at a music festival, which can be seen on the large screen behind him. — Murs performed at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich in 2015

Murs, 42, has performed in Norfolk on several occasions previously, including supporting Take That at Carrow Road stadium in Norwich in 2024.

Ahead of his Yarmouth visit, he joked: "I'm going to have to sing 'Oh I do like to be beside the seaside'.

"The show is going to be catered for everyone, from kids to adults, and we'll all have some fun."

Josephine Crispin A large crowd of people are packed on to Brighton beach, looking at a stage with screens either side. Above the stage is a turquoise banner reading ON THE BEACH in yellow. The sea is to the right of the crowd and stage. — Crowds packed out Brighton seafront at the 2026 On The Beach event

Morrison said he and his colleagues were excited by the "wider" opportunities the festival would bring.

"[It] gives people another reason to visit Great Yarmouth, stay overnight, eat, drink and explore everything else the destination has to offer," he said.

On The Beach started in 2021 and this summer hosted shows by Fatboy Slim, Moby and Madness.

Next year's festival is not only its first expansion outside of Brighton, but is understood to be the first large-scale staged event on Great Yarmouth beach since Channel 4 televised one-day shows there in the noughties.

Shaun Whitmore/BBC An aerial picture of Great Yarmouth taken by a drone. To the right is a sandy beach and a pier. To the left is a road with historic hotel buildings and houses stretching into the horizon — Great Yarmouth previously hosted T4 Pop Beach in 2003 and 2004

T4 Pop Beach featured Girls Aloud, Blue, Mis-Teeq and Jamelia in 2003, and returned the following year before relocating to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.

Going further back, the BBC Radio 1 Roadshow brought thousands to the beach during the 1980s and 90s.

On The Beach said the Norfolk event would have "its own identity", drawing on the town's "long tradition of seaside entertainment".

The company said the 2027 festival would be about half the size of Brighton's, with a capacity of 5,000 people and "room to grow over time".