Number of tickets already sold for Hartlepool music festival is revealed

Bastille will headline Soundwave, on Sunday, July 30, at Seaton Reach.

The English pop-rock band behind global hits Pompeii and Happier will be taking the stage alongside a number of other local artists including Michael Gallagher, Finn Forster, Zela and We Tibetans.

This event, which is organised by By the Sea Leisure, comes as part of a three-day summer festival that will also feature Clubland by the Sea on Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29.

Tickets went on sale on Monday, May 1 at 9am with half already sold.

Event organiser and owner of Seaton’s Open Jar, Joe Franks, said: “It has gone really really well. It has been an unbelievable start.”

Mr Franks said: “We are really really excited. This is one of the biggest events that have happened here.”

He added: “We are keen to make this into an annual festival in Hartlepool and we wanted to get it off the ground with the biggest amount of talent we can.”

Proposals were first made to the council in February 2023 to create an outdoor space for entertainment activities such as live and recorded music, dance performances, plays and films.

The licence states that events can be held between 9am and 11.30pm, with hot food allowed to be served until closing and alcohol from noon until 11pm.

Despite an event capacity of 5,000 people, Mr Franks said of future events: “We are hoping that the council will extend the 5,000 capacity and that will give us bigger budgets to do more with.”