A waterfront festival with sea tournaments and onshore entertainment has been laid on for beach-going fun-lovers this summer.

The West Pier Waterfront Festival is the first of its kind in the south and will feature events including a triathlon and sea races.

The event on Brighton beach runs on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2, September and is being sponsored by The Argus and Southern FM.

It will feature a music stage, exhibition space and a programme of fun run by local organisations.

Project manager, Bec Britain, of Zap Productions, said the festival would raise public awareness about the type and accessibility of water activities.

She said: "I have lived in Brighton for a few years and I have had very little experience on the sea but the activities are very accessible and this brings that much more into the public eye.

"It encourages people to have a go. That is really the primary aim of the festival, to give it a broader appeal."

She said there would be a beach market over both days and fishing from the West Pier for the first time in 30 years.

There will also be hourly tours of the West Pier, a sound show organised by the West Pier Trust and a re-enactment of Charles II's escape on the beach to mark its 350th anniversary.

Trust general manager, Rachel Clark, said: "We are delighted to be involved in what we hope to be the first of many festivals given that the West Pier is such a major feature in Brighton."

Watersports company Neilson has organised sailing races for business and schools.

Overseas director, Pip Tyler, said it was looking for six local businesses to sponsor their six, eight metre racing yachts in challenges between the two piers.

He said: "We have a general interest in trying to promote watersports and we thought it was a real shame that, as a city, so much goes on in Brighton but none of it happens in the sea."

Brighton Sailing Club boats will race on the Sunday, and Sussex Yacht Club will be racing from Shoreham to Black Rock.

On the Saturday, Brighton Swimming Club will host a water polo sea tournament at the Marina.

There will be a street entertainment programme with a coastal theme and a wide variety of family-friendly music.

Hove Lagoon Watersports will also be offering the public free opportunities to have a go at dinghy sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing.

There will be free rides on banana boats, catamarans and powerboats on both days.