A Sea and Beach Festival held at Clacton last weekend is set to become an annual event.

Organisers have vowed the celebration of all things salty and sandy will return next year and are already drawing up plans to make it even bigger and better.

The inaugural two-day event saw more than 50,000 people pack the town’s seafront and beaches across the weekend.

Nick Turner, cabinet member for coastal protection at Tendring District Council, which ran the festival, said it was a weekend to remember and he is already looking ahead to next year.

“We are planning for another high quality event to help promote the renaissance of our seafront,” he said.

“This may have been the first but it certainly won’t be the last Clacton Sea and Beach Festival.

“I am hoping that businesses both large and small will help it grow and become as established in the calendar as the Clacton Air Show.”

This year’s event included a whole range of activities on the water and on the land.

A whole host of musical entertainment was backed up by Punch and Judy, arts and crafts workshops, a storytelling tent, face painting and stalls along the promenade.

The festival was kicked off with a colourful procession from Clacton Town Hall to the West Beach.

On the water there were boat trips on the Viking Saga Pleasure Boat, the James Stevens No 14, the oldest motorised lifeboat in the world, kayaking, canoeing and push kiting.

Ian Taylor, the council’s seafront manager, said it was great to sea the seafront come alive and the beaches packed with people enjoying themselves.

“The 50,000 plus people on Saturday was better than we could have expected and although it rained all Sunday morning the crowds showed up in the afternoon,” he said.

“It was a fantastic first attempt at this type of festival but we know where we can look to improve things and we will not rest on our laurels.

“It was a team effort – albeit a relatively small team – but everyone played their part in what was a very special weekend for all those who came along.”