Cornwall's Run to the Sun set to return after licence approval

Run to the Sun event was previously held in Newquay from 1988 to 2013

The return of one of Cornwall's most legendary festivals has moved a step closer.

Cornwall Council has approved a premises licence for a new incarnation of the Run to the Sun (RTTS) event.

The original festival, which started as a classic car rally, ran in Newquay between 1988 and 2013.

The licensing application for the two-day event has been passed by the council's Licensing Act sub-committee.

Festival bosses said they wanted to serve alcohol and have live music from midday to 02:00 BST on Saturday 27 May, and open from 10:00 to 17:00 the following day.

The event was first held at Fistral Beach in Newquay, when about 70 cars turned up, before moving to Trevelgue holiday park at nearby Porth.

Prior to the application approval, Keith Seume, who founded the original festival, said its possible rebirth was "absolutely fantastic".

He added the organisers "taking it back to its roots" was "what I have longed to see".

"It became a victim of its own success," he said.

"What started out as a charity cruise for hot-rods and VWs ended up being a big three-day party at Trevelgue, which attracted an awful lot of the local, younger guys in their hatchbacks, etc.

The event is planned for May Bank Holiday weekend

"And they weren't really there for car and charity side of things - they just wanted to have a wild party weekend.

"That completely changed the whole character of the event and, unfortunately, brought about its demise."

The new event is planned for a 50-acre (20 hectare) site opposite Cornwall Airport Newquay, with a capacity of 4,999 people.

Two stages are planned, along with bars and fairground rides.

Camping and parking would be available on site, with dedicated areas for people to display their classic cars and vans, the application said.Event organisers said: "We don't just want to bring back RTTS, we want to bring it back in a purer form, concentrating on the cars and atmosphere from the earlier years which made RTTS what it was back in the day."

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