GROWING from a small nostalgic music festival to an attraction that hosts 20,000 people, Reminisce Festival has become a staple of the event calendar in St Helens.
Launching in 2014, the festival has grown to cater for tens of thousands of fans in St Helens and now hosts more than 150 acts across seven stages in Sherdley Park.
For the most part, Reminisce has been a hugely popular event that celebrates old-school dance and pop music, and organisers said they were "absolutely thrilled" with the reception to this year's festival.
READ > 'I'm wary about going to the shop': Residents concerned after 3 stabbings in 3 months
Nevertheless, there have been a few controversies over the years, including long queues, security concerns, and WiFi issues in 2021.
There have also been concerns about noise and litter left behind at Sherdley Park over the years, while others have complained that much of the public park is closed off to tax-paying residents as the festival is constructed and deconstructed.
Renting out part of Sherdley Park to Reminisce organisers for the day festival, and its period of construction and deconstruction, St Helens Council has confirmed that it earned £22,000 from this year's festival.
A spokesperson for the council said that this money is "reinvested into the development of parks" in St Helens.
Plans for a £100k new skatepark in Sherldey Park, which was granted planning permission last week, is one example of what the money raised from Reminisce goes towards, council officials say.
Planned to consist of various ramps, pipes, wall-rides and jump boxes, the skatepark will also be funded through Section 106 funding as a result of housing developments in the local area, with a contribution from the council through its parks improvement fund generated from external use of the park.
While there were six arrests were made at this year's Reminisce Festival, police said that the "vast majority of people who attended act[ed] in a responsible manner allowing everyone to enjoy the event.”
With thousands of people enjoying Reminisce in the September sunshine, the festival site is expected to have been completely deconstructed by Friday, September 15.
Planning to come back for the 10th year next year, early bird tickets for Reminisce 2024 will be on sale soon.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel