This Month-Long UK-Wide Festival Will Consider The Future Of Our Coasts

The British coast is in peril: sea level rises and violent storms are eroding the coastline, washing swathes of land away and threatening the seaside spots many people call home. It’s a keenly felt product of the climate crisis, forcing thousands of people to reconsider their relationship with the coast: can we stay here? Should we? Is this home, or is it time to leave? Throughout the month of May, a brand new nationwide festival will face up to these questions, harnessing the power of art and community to explore the coast’s dichotomy: beautiful yet threatened. Here’s how to get involved with Beach of Dreams.

Beach Of Dreams: What To Expect

Kinetika, Beach of Dreams 2021. (© Mike Johnston)

What Is Beach Of Dreams?

Beach of Dreams is a month-long festival taking place across a whole host of the UK’s coastal regions, exploring their heritage, culture and future in the face of the climate crisis. Think artistic commissions, creative walks, community-led events and national tours of artworks. The whole programme aims to reimagine Britain’s relationship with the coast, celebrating its beauty, confronting its fragility and, most importantly, inspiring urgent climate action.

‘Through Beach of Dreams, we are journeying from the Beach of Broken Dreams in Thurrock to   shine a spotlight on the coastal gems, organisations, people, and projects across the UK that are creating positive change and inspiring hope,’ says Ali Pretty, the festival’s creative director. ‘In these uncertain times, Beach of Dreams emphasises the power of local communities to shape their own futures. By connecting through the Beach of Dreams network, we gather strength and solidarity, proving that together, we can make a difference.’

Pretty is also the artistic director of Kinetika, the design agency behind the festival, which began in 2021 with the art project Beach of Dreams takes its name from. This year’s festival is the largest and most ambitious to date.

Beach of Dreams, Walney Island

What’s On?

Beach of Dreams’ flagship commission will be unveiled on Saturday 3 May 2025 at Tilbury Cruise Terminal, Thurrock. Entitled Threads for Tomorrow and created by Rahemur Rahman, the artwork is made up of 500 silks damaged in storms along the south coast in 2023, uniting eight sewing groups based along the Thames Estuary to craft their own unique and intricate panel.

The idea is that the festival will then unspool from here, rippling out across the country, all anchored by a digital storytelling platform amplifying local voices and creative responses to the climate crisis as well as a national invitation to take part; anyone can host an event, join a walk, or contribute a Climate Commitment on the Beach of Dreams website.

Other highlights include:

• Eight major artistic commissions blending cultural narratives, ecological concerns and community perspectives, all crafted by acclaimed artists including Julie Brook and Jason Singh, unveiled at spots across the country, from Colwyn Bay to South Tyneside
• Seaweed papermaking workshops in Newburgh
• An Urban Flow dance performance in Roehampton
• A whole host of coastal walks and journeys, from the Caithness and Sutherland Walking Festival to a special Refugee Tales walk in Deal

Events are still being added to the lineup; find more and stay up to date at beachofdreams.org

When, Where & How?

Beach of Dreams is running for the whole month of May, kicking off on Thursday 1 May and wrapping up on Sunday 1 June 2025. Regions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will take part. To get involved, find the full line-up events on the Beach of Dreams website and select the one you’d like to take part in.

If there’s nothing happening locally to you, there’s also the option of hosting your own event or making a climate commitment. Find out more at beachofdreams.org/take-part