Great Yarmouth Festival of Bowls

This year’s festival, the 78th edition, promises to be the biggest and most exciting yet, with competitors of all skill levels – from amateurs to seasoned professionals. Bowlers have the opportunity to showcase their talent and compete against some of the finest players in the sport, all while enjoying the camaraderie and community spirit the festival is renowned for.

Tournaments taking place include men’s, ladies and mixed teams competing for singles, pairs, triples and fours titles. Each winner receives a trophy, as do some runners up. Winners and runners up also receive prize money.

The bowls festival, which runs until Saturday, September 20, is only able to go ahead thanks to generous funding and support from Visit Great Yarmouth along with sponsorship from Wentworth Holidays, Global Signs and Engraving, The Prom Hotel, Jack and Bowl, Town and Country Counselling, Staffing Innovations, Parker Hydraulics & Pneumatics Ltd, Shemara Beach Refreshments and Thompsons Food Service Ltd.

Ruth Cockrill, Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s marketing and events officer, said: ‘’We are looking forward to another excellent Visit Great Yarmouth Festival of Bowls. It is a key fixture in the sport’s annual calendar and we look forward to seeing all the competitors this year for what we know will be an entertaining and keenly contested programme. Last year, eleven out of the twelve tournaments saw new champions and we can’t wait to see if anyone retains their title this year. I’d like to thank all our sponsors, committee members and supporters – as well as the competitors – for helping to make sure this fantastic event can take place.’’

Nathan Race, chair of Visit Great Yarmouth, said: “It is always wonderful to welcome the bowls players, their families and bowls fans to Great Yarmouth. We are proud that our destination is the UK’s bowls capital. More than 800 competitors take part in the annual seafront festival and Potters Resorts at Hopton has hosted the World Indoor Bowls Championships since 1979. It is fantastic to host these sporting events where all ages meet to compete and spectate from far and wide and explore the huge variety of entertainment, restaurants, pubs and attractions that our destination offers while they are here.”

Asa Morrison, CEO of Visit Great Yarmouth, said: “The festival brings a welcome late summer and early autumn boost to our visitor numbers, which benefits our accommodation sector as well as the businesses on the seafront used by spectators, players and their families.”

Tournament information:

Ladies Singles
Sunday, August 24 – Tuesday, August 26

Men’s Fours
Sunday, August 24 – Tuesday, August 26

Men’s Pairs
Wednesday, August 27 – Friday, August 29

Men’s Triples
Sunday, August 31 – Tuesday, September 2

Ladies Pairs
Sunday, August 31 – Tuesday, September 2

Men’s Singles
Wednesday, September 3 – Friday, September 5

Ladies Triples
Thursday, September 4 – Friday, September 5

Under 21s Open Singles
Saturday, September 6

Mixed Pairs
Sunday, September 7 – Tuesday, September 9

Mixed Triples
Wednesday, September 10, and Friday, September 12

Over 60s Open Singles
Saturday, September 13 – Tuesday, September 16

Over 60s Open Pairs
Wednesday, September 17 – Saturday, September 20