Thousands expected for Northern Soul weekender

More than 2,000 Northern Soul enthusiasts are expected in Bridlington for a weekend event in June

Thousands of people are expected to head to East Yorkshire next month to take part in what is claimed to be the largest music event in the UK dedicated to Northern Soul.

Bridlington Spa will host three days of music between 27 and 29 June with more than 50 DJs from across the country set to perform.

The event, now in its 18th year, has raised £90,000 for the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in South Yorkshire since it began.

Rob Wigley from the organising team said: "It's hard to nail down what makes it so special but you can see people turn up, walk into the Spa and just stare because they are gobsmacked."

The event at Bridlington Spa is the largest of its kind in the UK, according to the organisers

Northern Soul began as a British club movement in the 1970s, taking off in places like Wigan and Blackpool and bringing young people together to dance to obscure mid-60s Motown-inspired sounds.

Mr Wigley joked that he and the other organisers only thought the Bridlington event would last for "three or four years" when it started in 2007.

"We never thought the weekender would grow to what it has become and the camaraderie from the Northern Soul community is unbelievable.

"We've all got one thing in common which is music. It opens doors and breaks down barriers."

Mr Wigley said the choice of music on offer, in six different rooms, would give ticket holders the chance to "find something they'd like".

"Some of the stuff is really rare and you might hear something that only exists on one or two records in the whole world. It's incredibly special."

Mr Wigley said the art deco ballroom and sprung dancefloor at Bridlington Spa brought comparisons with the original Wigan Casino but "without the tobacco smells and sweat".

He said: "I used to go to Wigan Casino every week or fortnight depending on if I could catch a bus or a train. It was really scruffy, virtually uninhabitable but it was an original ballroom just like Bridlington.

"People would travel from all over the country. It was packed, it was hot and it was sweaty but those nights were absolutely incredible."

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