20 July 2010 Bumper crowds packed Eastbourne seafront this weekend to witness the biggest line up ever at Eastbourne Extreme making 2010 a record year for the free extreme sports festival.
Tens of thousands of visitors enjoyed two action-packed days featuring one of the globe’s top bikers in the Animal Relentless Bike Tour, round four of the national Formula Future Offshore Powerboat Championships, brand new Battle Slalom competition, a nail-biting Battle of the Bands final and much more.
With 2010 boasting the most impressive programme ever for Eastbourne Extreme with non-stop adrenaline-pumping action, visitors have been rating the event online through twitter with tweets describing this year’s event as an ‘awesome weekend at the coast.’
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism, Cllr Neil Stanley said “What a fantastic event! Eastbourne Extreme really packed a punch this weekend and with so much going on, I didn’t know what to watch first! It was perfect weather on Saturday for the windsurfers to whiz through the Eastbourne shores, while Sunday’s glorious sunshine made it a brilliant day to admire the colourful display of VW Campers and relax on the beach while the Battle of the Bands competition drew to a great finale!
“With posts on twitter indicating that Extreme has left visitors wanting more, we have a spectacular programme of events still to come this summer in Eastbourne and I’d urge everyone to check out VisitEastbourne.com and plan their next action-packed trip to the seaside!”
Extreme visitors were treated to an authentic festival atmosphere over the weekend with live music every hour from the Battle of the Bands competition taking place on the Extreme stage.
After holding heats in Eastbourne in the run up to the event, the final 8 bands took to the stage on Saturday and Sunday with local group Spaniels Ears taking the title. Having supported Toploader at last year’s Bandstand concert, the 5-piece act once again went down a storm with festival fans and the judging panel.
As well as watching impressive sporting displays and enjoying an Extreme soundtrack, visitors could also test their own nerves with taster experiences on offer. Spray Watersports offered taster sessions in windsurfing and sailing for those looking to experience Eastbourne’s waves, while South East Kiting Association, Brighton Kite Flyers and Kent Land Yachting Club filled Princes Park and Five Acres offering visitors the chance to have a go themselves.
And the Mayor of Eastbourne, Cllr Carolyn Heaps, showed visitors how to do it on Sunday as she had a go at zorbing on Five Acre Field before doing skate limbo at Fisherman’s Green with some of the Eastbourne Skate Association team lending a helping hand.
With visitors coming from across the country to make the most of the free event as the staycation continues this summer, it meant a busy weekend for Eastbourne’s hotels and guesthouses. Chairman of the Eastbourne Hospitality Association (EHA), Marco Giorgi said “Another success on our gorgeous seafront. It was great to see so many young people around and obviously very good for the hotels with many receiving late bookings to supplement the already busy summer.”
Eastbourne Extreme is set to return next year from 16-17 July and companies interested in finding out about sponsorship opportunities available at Extreme should contact the Events team on 01323 415442..
For further information on other events coming up this summer visit the VisitEastbourne website or telephone 0871 663 0031. Visitors who want to share their experience and photos of Extreme can go to VisitEastbourne on Facebook and Twitter.
