No heartbreakhotels as resortwelcomesElvis fans

JOHN Lennon said: “Before Elvis there was nothing.”

Now it looks like the enduring appeal of the American idol could attract a new generation of fans to an East Coast town.

The Elvis Weekender – starting tomorrow – aims to eventually replicate the success of the Porthcawl Elvis Festival, the biggest of its kind in the world, attracting some 30,000 fans a year to the Welsh town.

Event organiser Peter Phillips, who set up the festival six years ago when he was making a TV documentary, said he’d chosen Bridlington over three other contenders, Margate, Clacton and Scarborough.

He said: “We are really a TV film company and we set up the Elvis festival to make a documentary – but it’s grown to be the biggest Elvis festival in the world.

“There’s definitely demand for another Elvis festival, but what we wanted to do is find a totally different part of the country and do it at a different end of the year.”

Mr Philips said they’d chosen Bridlington because of the magnificent facilities the Spa offers and the enthusiasm of staff.