CHEERFUL crowds basked in the sun as they celebrated two days of food, drink, film and family fun in Maryport this weekend.
Organised by Allerdale council, with Maryport Town Council as its main sponsor, the Taste of the Sea festival had something for everyone.
Two days in the scorching sun offered festival goers everything from cooking demonstrations using responsibly sourced seafood, cocktails from the Rum Shack to facepainting and fairground rides for the youngsters.
In line with the festival’s name, it was exuberant in it’s offering of delectable bites throughout the day with plenty of free samples from local chilli makers, cheesemongers and even gin distillers to name a small few - all to the back-drop of local musicians taking centre stage.
Visitors also had the chance to see two new oral history films which explore Maryport from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Members of the Senhouse Roman Museum were also on hand to give a flavour of history of what life was like for soldiers along Hadrian’s Wall.
For young entrepreneurs like ‘Arty Abigail’, the Taste of the Sea festival provides an opportunity to showcase her business acumen once a year.
“Business has been very good today, we’ve had a lot of sales. We haven’t got any more stock left, so if it all sells out today it’ll be a very good day,” she said.
Similarly, the festival allowed community groups such as The Settlement to showcase their talents.
One of which was Jackie Ostle of Urban Sketches, who spent the day in the sun sketching the beautiful Maryport Harbour.
“I’ve come to represent Urban Sketchers of the Settlement, and the day’s been absolutely gorgeous.
“There’s so many beautiful things to draw in Maryport, we don’t have to venture too far – hopefully we get a few more faces signing up,” she said.
Councillor Mike Johnson, leader of Allerdale Borough Council, said: "It’s the second time we’ve held the event in Maryport and, last year, it brought around half a million pounds into the local economy which is why these events are so important."
Maryport’s Taste of the Sea event will be followed by the flagship Taste Cumbria festival in Cockermouth on Saturday September 24 and Sunday 25 then the Taste Cumbria Christmas Festival on Saturday December 10 and 11.
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