Thousands expected to attend huge tribute festival in Hartlepool in September

Tribute acts to ABBA, the Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Queen and Taylor Swift are among the performers taking to the stage at the Open Jar Tribute Festival.

The event, which will take place on September 9 at Seaton Reach, has already had “fantastic” response, organisers have said.

“We are expecting around two and a half – three thousand people hopefully for the tribute festival,” said organiser and Open Jar owner Joe Franks.

He continued: "We’ve got 10 of the UK’s best tributes.

"We are already up to just under a thousand sign ups. The response has been fantastic so far.”

Besides music, festival-goers will also be able to enjoy a food village, fire breathers and a range of stalls.

The event is set to kick off at 1pm and finish at 11pm.

Mr Franks said: "We have a lot of other things going on on the day. We’ve got a food village with lots of different food traders from around the North East.

"They are going to showcase what they’ve got, so it’s not just a case of coming and watching the tribute festival, we’ve got things like little funfairs, fire breathers.

"There’s plenty of things happening on the day. It’s a full day’s entertainment.”

The event will bring a busy Hartlepool summer to a close, with the Tall Ships and Soundwave music festival also taking place in July.

The idea for the tribute fest came after tribute nights at the Open Jar proved a hit.

"The reaction has always been good. We thought why don’t we try and do one of the biggest ever tribute festivals that Teesside has seen on that land,” Mr Franks said.

"We are very excited to be able to bring such big shows and events to Hartlepool. These sorts of shows always make their way down to Middlesbrough, or Darlington, or Sunderland. It’s nice that we are able to bring them to our hometown. It’s very exciting for everybody.”

For more information and tickets, go to https://www.openjartributefest.co.uk/