Boardmasters, the surf and music festival, generated £45 million for the local economy last year, according to new research.

The independent study by the South West Research Company, studied the economic impact of Boardmasters, which attracted 80,000 visitors in 2017. The research focused on how much festivalgoers spent on food and drink, accommodation, shopping, entertainment and transport.

Councillor Andy Hannan, Mayor of Newquay, commented: “It’s evident that, even if festivalgoers are staying on site at Watergate Bay, they also travel across the town during their stay and head out along the coastline to explore, bringing additional spend to businesses across Newquay, Watergate Bay, Mawgan Porth and beyond.

“What’s also critical is that lots of these visitors will return to the Newquay time and time again, highlighting the importance of this event in our annual lifestyle destination calendar.”

Photo credit: Alex Rawson