Resort welcomes back street artists

The second Sand, Sea & Spray urban art festival organised by Marketing Blackpool will take place over three days in June.

Sand, Sea & Spray will see six sites around the resort transformed into huge art galleries with artists creating masterpieces on North Pier, Deansgate, Adelaide Street, Central Car Park, Olympia in the Winter Gardens and Church Street.

Artists from Poland, Chile and Paris are among 40 taking part in the free event from 15 to 17 June.

Building on the success of last year's festival, this year will also see an expansion and include a fashion show and exhibition in the Winter Gardens Olympia featuring garments created by students from Blackpool Sixth Form, as well as live music and street dance.

Organiser Robin Ross has worked in the radio industry for more than 25 years and more recently turned his hand to arts after a lifelong interest in images and style. In 2003 Robin developed the idea of the Art in the Park Exhibition in Blackpool, which featured rock stars, photographers, colour blind artists and painters on silk.

Ross said: "I am delighted to be returning to Blackpool with Urban Arts. It's such an amazing opportunity for these artists to stage their work to a very wide and diverse audience.

"It's also a great opportunity for the audience to learn about and really appreciate Urban Art. When you watch urban art being created it is amazing because you really appreciate the skills that are required to create such masterpieces.

"We have got some fantastic artists coming to Blackpool and I am really looking forward to seeing people's faces as they realise just how jaw-dropping-ly good these artists are."

There will also be opportunity for people to buy the artists' work with pieces ranging from around £15 to more than £1,000.

Natalie Wyatt, managing director of Marketing Blackpool, said: "This was a great event last year and I am really looking forward to seeing these artists in action again.

"This is an event for people of all ages because it really is amazing to watch and what's more, it's free so it's a great family day out.

"The Sand, Sea & Spray Festival is just one of the many events in Blackpool that show how we are becoming a much more cultural destination for visitors. There is so much more to Blackpool than meets the eye."

Sand Sea & Spray takes place in Blackpool on Friday 15, Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 June 2012. For more information go to www.visitblackpool.com or Tel: 01253 478222