A selection of some of the finest things to see and do beside the seaside this summer

Lytham Arts Festival The resort’s second arts festival will be bigger than last year’s debut event, with more than 70 artists exhibiting and performing at venues around the town. There will be a literary festival at the library, salsa dancing in the piazza and paintings in shop windows, as well as artists’ open studios and music of all styles. July 4-11, lythamartsfestival.org

Transatlantic 175 A weekend of cultural events at Liverpool’s waterfront and docks will mark the 175th anniversary of passenger travel across the Atlantic. Events will celebrate music, food, film and fashion and the links between Liverpool and Manhattan and there will be a festival of vintage style and fashion, a classic car cavalcade and food festival. During the weekend the Queen Mary 2 will leave Liverpool to recreate the first Cunard voyage in 1840. July 4-5, cultureliverpool.co.uk

Tram Sunday It’s ironic that the UK’s largest free transport event – a celebration particularly of trams – is responsible for disrupting public transport into Fleetwood. No-one seems to mind too much though, as the town is turned into a huge car park for vehicles of all kinds, from vintage cars to heritage trams, commercial vehicles, bicycles and pretty much anything else with wheels. July 19, tramsunday.co.uk

Kite festival Turn your eyes to skies in St Annes for all the fun of the air as kites of all shapes and sizes swoop and dive over the beach. The free annual event features incredible designs – this year will see a 30 foot long octopus kite – as well as stalls and family entertainment including a teddy bear parachute drop (for brave bears only). And for more kite fun, head to Morecambe on June 27-28 for the Catch The Wind festival. July 25-26, stanneskitefestival.co.uk.

Lytham Festival The event formerly known as Lytham Proms is Lancashire’s largest live music event with four nights of performances in a range of styles and genres – everyone from Elaine Paige and Billy Ocean to Chesney Hawkes and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The enlarged festival also features comedy and theatre with a programme of events to suit all ages. August 6-9, lythamfestival.com

Blackpool Air Show Those magnificent men in their flying machines will be going up-tiddly-up and down-tiddly-down in the skies above Blackpool where they have been staging air shows form more than 100 years. The Red Arrows will be the stars of the show, as they always are, but there will be fly pasts by all kinds of aircraft from bi-planes to modern jets. And there will be more aeronautical excitement at the Southport Air Show on September 19-20. August 9-10, visitblackpool.com

1940s Festival This year may mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, but hostilities will be renewed in Lytham at the sixth annual wartime festival. The town will be filled with the fashions, music and vehicles of the war and both sides are usually well-represented with scores of people in costume. Battles will be recreated on the Green and there will be plenty of 1940s singing and dancing. August 15-16, lytham1940s.co.uk

Southport Flower Show Chef Jean Christophe-Novelli will be the special guest at this year’s event where the theme will be China. As well as stunning show gardens, demonstrations and plants to buy, there will be a food festival, entertainment and activities for all the family August 20-23, southportflowershow.co.uk

Vintage by the Sea The third annual celebration of all things vintage will bring crowds flocking to Morecambe to enjoy the music, fashion and style of a bygone era. Led by Lancashire Life columnist Wayne Hemingway and his wife Gerardine, the event will include performances, events and shows as well as the chance to learn the dances of yesteryear and the opportunity to have a vintage make-over. September 5-6, vintagefestival.co.uk

World Firework Championships Not every event can guarantee explosive action but the World Firework Championships held on the prom in Blackpool can. The skies will be lit up with dramatic pyrotechnic displays set to music by teams from across the globe who will compete for the title won last year by Canada. September 11- October 2