Coastin’ to Stardom: Local Legends and Rising Stars Rock the Shields!
North Shields Coast Festival Returns – With Sunday for Sammy Trust Championing Emerging Local Talent
27–29 June 2025 | Percy Park RFC, North Shields
Coast Festival is back for its third year, bringing a spectacular weekend of live music, family entertainment, and community celebration to North Shields from 27th to 29th June 2025. With an incredible lineup that spans household names and emerging grassroots talent, the festival continues to cement its place as one of the North East’s most loved cultural events.
In a continued partnership that highlights the region’s vibrant creative scene, Coast Festival has once again teamed up with the Sunday for Sammy Trust to sponsor a dedicated stage showcasing the very best in emerging home-grown talent. The Trust, established in memory of actor Sammy Johnson, is renowned for supporting the next generation of North East performers in music, comedy, theatre and beyond.
Ray Laidlaw, administrator and producer of the Trust and founding member of Lindisfarne, shared his thoughts on this year’s collaboration:
“Supporting home-grown talent is at the heart of everything we do at Sunday for Sammy. Coast Festival provides an incredible platform for young artists to shine in front of new audiences, and we’re proud to be part of a celebration that champions local creativity and ambition. We hope that some of the performers from the Sammy Stage might even go on to appear in our next Sunday for Sammy show at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on 15th February. That’s what this is all about—creating opportunity and spotlighting talent from the grassroots up.”
The Sunday for Sammy Stage will present a carefully curated line-up of emerging acts across the weekend, while the iconic Tyne Idols double-decker bus returns as a rolling stage, offering intimate gigs from local busking musicians throughout the festival site. In total, around 150 performers will play across various stages.
Festival-goers can expect an eclectic weekend. Friday night kicks off with a full-scale party atmosphere, featuring international DJ Laidback Luke and rising rap star Window Kid. Saturday sees performances from acclaimed North East singer-songwriter Liam Fender straight from his amazing appearance with his brother Sam at St James’ Park and Glasgow indie rockers Glasvegas, while Sunday welcomes the celebrated Lindisfarne Story Band, featuring local legends Ray Laidlaw, Billy Mitchell and their five-piece band.
Adding to the festival’s nostalgic flair, this year’s legend slots include Nigel Clark of Dodgy on Saturday. While Friday is all about high-energy club vibes, the Saturday and Sunday schedule includes family-friendly attractions, including the ever-popular Rave Cave, a budding DJ competition, and a performance stage for young local talent.
Festival organiser John Milton Peacock expressed his excitement about the event’s growing reach and community support:
“We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with the Sunday for Sammy Trust. Their support brings so much energy and authenticity to the event, and the young performers on that stage often steal the show. We’re also pleased to be offering 50% off tickets to NHS and charity workers via the Tickets for Good app—it’s our way of saying thank you to those who give so much to our communities.”
Following its win as Best New Festival in the UK, and three nominations at the 2024 festival awards, Coast Festival continues to build on its success. With all performances taking place under large, weatherproof stage tents, the audience is guaranteed a top-tier festival experience, rain or shine.
Tickets for Coast Festival 2025 are on sale now and expected to move quickly. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this unforgettable weekend of music and culture in North Shields.
Visit www.wegottickets.com/coastfest for details.
Ends
For more information about Coast Festival, including ticket sales and the complete line-up, please visit www.coastfest.co.uk
Photo: Paul Irwin SFS Trustee, Cal Halbert SFS Trustee, Ray Laidlaw SFS Administrator, John Milton Peacock Coastfest Promoter. John Smith Coastfest Promoter. Photo Credit John Millard.
Coast Fest and Sunday for Sammy PR and Media Keith@highlightspr.co.uk 07814 397951