Morecambe’s popular Victorian Steampunk festival A Splendid Day Out returns at the end of the month (31st May – 1st June) with this year’s theme ‘The Age of Dragons’ promising another fantastical weekend of entertainment.
Visitors will be greeted by Fang ‘the Red Terror’ and Olaf ‘the Ice Dragon’ stalking the streets around The Platform, before heading inside to find live music and entertainment alongside a fabulous indoor market of Steampunk-themed stalls and displays (10am-4pm both days).
As always there are plenty of activities to get involved in. The typically wacky Steampunk sport of Tea Duelling makes a return – so grab a malted milk and get ready to engage in glorious biscuit-based combat! The most elegant of Steampunk sports, Parasol Duelling, makes its festival debut, bringing a new air of refinement to rock, paper, scissors. And new for 2025, visitors can enrol in Madam Misfit’s British Aeronautical Piloting School, earning their wings through some good old-fashioned, family-friendly silliness.
A Splendid Day Out attracts visitors to Morecambe from around the world, as well as some of the most imaginative outfits you are ever likely to see. While dressing up is entirely optional, this year creativity will be rewarded in two costume competitions, where prizes are up for grabs for both best dressed and best dragon.
Ticketed evening gigs also take place at The Kings Arms on the Friday and Saturday nights, with tickets available to purchase from https://asdo.brownpapertickets.com/ (over 18s only). Lineups include:
- 30 May – Aldous Pinch, Madam Misfit, and The Brass Brothers
- 1 June – Frankie Heartless, Victor and the Bully, and The Rewinders
Funding from Morecambe Town Council helps make the daytime offer at this family-friendly, accessible festival free for all to attend.
Rose Roberts, co-founder of A Splendid Day Out, said ‘We are delighted to return with A Splendid Day Out Steampunk Festival and bring you even more family fun entertainment with a twist. We would like to thank Morecambe Town Council and Morecambe BID for supporting us and making it possible to offer the weekend free of charge, giving everyone a chance to participate in the weird and wonderful creations of Steampunk. You never know, you may find your own creative side and want to become a steampunk yourself after this amazing weekend.’
Lee Bradbury, Chairperson of Morecambe Town Council’s Festivals, Sponsorships and Events Committee, said, ‘A Splendid Day Out is one of Morecambe’s most unique events. It attracted over 7,000 people to Morecambe last year, which is a fantastic result considering it came on the back of a five-year break. The organisers did an incredible job and we’re keen to ensure it remains a permanent fixture in Morecambe’s events calendar.’