Soundwave Festival


Soundwave Festival, held every year at the Scarborough Spa Ocean Room, Scarborough, UK, is a music and arts festival created by the DIY Collective, a group of young people from around the Scarborough area. It was first held in 1999 on South Bay Beach, Scarborough and was moved to the Spa Complex because of funding issues. It has been held every year since at the same venue. Local musical talent is showcased, and art and craft workshops are held throughout the day of the event. The festival was headlined by the local band who had done the most to organise the festival. The headline act was then followed by a special guest. Previous special guests include Capdown, Dead Identities, The Dead Pets and AntiProduct. The 2007 festival was postponed until the first half term of the new British school year, instead of 13 August 2007, the day after the conclusion of the Beached Festival, which is now situated on the old Soundwave location on South Bay Beach. The 2007 event was cut short due to a fire alarm. After a ten-year hiatus the festival returns on August the 13th 2016 with a line up of returning Soundwave alumni and young local acts.
The main idea behind the festival is to showcase local talent, as well as provide free music for the young people of Scarborough. Henceforth, there is no entry fee. Most finance comes from fundraising events, and sponsorship grants. There is also a similar winter festival, slightly lower key, that goes by the name of 'Snow wave', which is used primarily as a fundraiser for Soundwave.