It is the start of her last big fanfare before she withdraws from public life indefinitely in September.

And as she walked on stage for the first of a 10-show run at London’s O2 Arena, international pop sensation Ariana Grande sent the crowd wild. 

Two weeks ago, the 33-year-old singer shocked fans when she announced on stage at a Chicago concert of her Eternal Sunshine tour that she was stepping back from the spotlight to ‘set boundaries’ and said ‘human beings need a break sometimes’.

Ariana’s schedule has been nonstop for the past five years, with the star filming both parts of Wicked, promoting the films, shooting Focker-in-Law and releasing two albums – Eternal Sunshine and Petal before beginning the tour.

Her shock break has come amid a roiling online outcry over her new music video Petal, in which her figure was strikingly thin.

Despite her frail frame, the former Disney child star looked as calm and confident as ever as she kicked off the show with Yes, And? 

Two weeks ago, the 33-year-old singer shocked fans when she announced on stage at a Chicago concert of her Eternal Sunshine tour

Surrounded by dancers, the singer stood out in a black lace corset dress and thigh-high custom Christian Louboutin boots and performed a racy number, The Boy Is Mine, with a cat mask on and whip in hand. 

The songstress returned in a pink ballerina custom Alexander McQueen outfit.  

Ariana’s concert runs for around two hours and is divided into five acts. The stage design is centred around a destroyed house, seen throughout the promotional visuals for Eternal Sunshine, which becomes overgrown with flowers as the concert progresses.

Filming notices at the event entrance stated the show would be professionally filmed, amid rumours of a special concert film being released.  

Each ticketholder is allowed to carry just one transparent bag made from clear plastic, vinyl or PVC, with no colour tints, prints, patterns or logos. They were also encouraged to only bring essential items.

There was a high police presence on site and extra security checks, resulting in long queues and wait times to enter the venue. 

This is a tragic consequence of her 2017 tour when Manchester Arena was targeted by an Islamist terrorist bomber, killing 22 audience members and leaving Ariana ‘broken’.

Much to the devastation of her adoring fans, these O2 shows will be the last they will see of her publicly in what has been forecast as a year.

So drastic will her pull-back from the spotlight be that Ariana’s team has even cancelled her commitments in November for the Focker-in-Law press tour.

There was a high police presence on site and extra security checks, resulting in long queues and wait times to enter the venue, with concert-goers dressed up in Ariana-themed outfits

Two donned Ariana’s signature bunny ears 

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Ariana sparked concern with her thin frame in her latest music video (pictured) 

Grande is pictured in 2018, which she claims was an ‘unhealthy’ time for her 

The star will appear opposite Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and Owen Wilson in the latest of the Meet the Parents franchise.

Another major work commitment that has been affected by the shock hiatus, was her upcoming role in a Barbican production of Sunday In The Park with George: Stephen Sondheim’s legendary 1984 musical about Georges Seurat and his mistress Dot.

Jonathan Bailey, Ariana’s co-star in the Wicked franchise, will still fulfil his obligations as the 19th-century French painter, but the singer was forced to cancel.

Her casting had been a major coup for producers – and a triumph for the London venue.

Ariana and Jonathan were, of course, two stars of the Wicked films, by far the most successful cinematic adaptations of Broadway musicals ever, grossing more than $750million [£550million] at the box office and garnering ten Oscar nominations [including one for Grande as Best Supporting Actress].

For over a decade Ariana had repeated in interviews that playing the Glinda the ‘good witch’ was her greatest ambition and so when she landed the part in 2021 she waxed lyrical about how it was her ‘dream role’.

But it was a character that took an emotional and physical toll on the then-28-year-old star.

Intensive rehearsal schedules, singing live, and performing stunts alongside British co-star Cynthia Erivo were all-consuming.

It was then that conversations about Ariana’s weight began, as fans shared their concern when she appeared noticeably thinner while promoting the film.

Speculation around Ariana’s altered appearance – some concerned, some prurient and some simply cruel – has dogged her for a long time.

While the Thank U, Next singer has always publicly insisted that she is perfectly healthy and has never directly addressed concerns about her dramatic weight loss.

In April 2023, she addressed the speculation publicly with a post on TikTok, saying: ‘I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies,’ adding it was hard ‘to be paid this close attention to [sic]’.

But the release of the music video for her new single Petal only served to inflate speculation surrounding her appearance.

Ariana surely hoped that it would attract attention for its feminist closing scene, in which she attacks a group of rude and dismissive male music executives with a chainsaw, ending up drenched in blood, like a horror film.

However, although the Petal video swiftly racked up millions of views, the reaction focused almost entirely on her strikingly thin appearance.

The British actress and Left-wing activist Jameela Jamil – who has survived an eating disorder – weighed in online, claiming that Grande was ‘possibly dying in front of us’ and wondering why her team had chosen to release such a ‘damaging image for young fans’.

Jamil later deleted her crass remark but insisted: ‘My point stands. This is deeply irresponsible.’

Finally, as the row approached a crescendo just two days after the videos release, Ariana’s team were forced to issue the bombshell statement.

Her spokesman told People magazine that the singer would ‘be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour’, adding: ‘She looks forward to … taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.’

In January this year, Ariana admitted a career break ‘would be healthy’, telling Vogue Japan: ‘These past few years have been pretty non-stop. And by few, I mean 15.’ She added that she was searching for more ‘balance’ in the years to come.

Trouble began for Ariana in 2017 when there was the horrific suicide bombing of her Manchester Arena concert by the Islamist of Libyan descent, Salman Abedi.

He murdered 22 people, many of them children, and injured more than 1,000 others.

Inevitably, the atrocity deeply affected Ariana, who said she was ‘broken’ and couldn’t find the words to describe how devastated she felt at the time.

A year after the attack, she said: ‘People are permanently affected by this stuff. It changes everything.’ She added that she was coping with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Many lesser artists would have retired then and there – and she hardly needs the money, being worth around £200million – but Ariana bravely organised the benefit concert One Love Manchester to support victims and their families.

Then, in 2018 – just a year after the Manchester attack – her rapper ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, another child star who had burst on to the music scene as a 15-year-old, died from an accidental drug overdose.

He was just 26. Ariana had first met him when she was 19, and the pair were together for almost two years, breaking up some four months before he died.

‘I can’t believe you’re not here any more,’ she wrote online at the time. ‘I don’t know what to do. You were my dearest friend.’ In an interview the following year, she said her grief over his death was ‘pretty all-consuming’.

Shortly afterwards, she embarked on a brief, whirlwind relationship with actor and comedian Pete Davidson – a former boyfriend of Kim Kardashian – with the couple getting matching tattoos. Davidson presented her with a $93,000 engagement ring, and the couple even bought a pet pig together, named Piggie Smalls – before they broke off the engagement after spending just five months together.

Ariana went on to find brief happiness with Dalton Gomez, an estate agent for luxury properties, whom she married in 2021. However, their divorce was finalised three years later.

She also had a near-three-year relationship with actor Ethan Slater while filming Wicked, before they split up this summer. Slater is thought to have left his ex-wife and newborn baby after meeting the star.

She is now thought to be back in a relationship with Ricky Alvarez, whom she previously dated in 2015.

But amid her turbulent love life, her career has only gone from strength to strength.

Her sellout Eternal Sunshine Tour – and screaming fans – have been proof of that.

The Regional Government of Andalusia has issued advice to residents in areas impacted by the earthquake amid fears of further aftershocks.

Residents have been warned to not run out of buildings and instead take cover under a sturdy table or next to a secure structural element, and “hold on until the shaking stops”.

The advice adds: “Stay away from windows, lamps, shelves, and any objects that could fall. If you are outdoors, move away from building facades, cornices, balconies, walls, poles, power lines, and windows.

“If you are traveling in a vehicle, stop in a safe place, without obstructing traffic, and remain inside until the shaking stops. Once the earthquake has ended, use the stairs and never the elevator.”

Eleven people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, authorities say, in one of the deadliest days of attacks since an agreement aimed at reducing hostilities was announced in June.

Lebanon’s prime minister said seven people were killed in a strike on a house on the outskirts of Ansar, 70km (43 miles) south of the capital, Beirut. State media reported three children and two women were among the dead.

Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) said it had killed a commander of Hezbollah – the Iran-backed Shia militia – following an attack against Israeli soldiers.

The commander’s family “who he used as human shields” were present and “harmed”, it added.

Later on Saturday, another round of strikes hit the town of Deir al-Zahrani, killing four and wounding five others, the Lebanese ministry of health said.

Lebanese authorities say the strike in Ansar at around 04:30 (01:30 GMT) occurred where displaced families were living. Footage on social media shows large plumes of smoke permeating through the streets of the village as sirens ring out.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks, saying the seven civilians killed were not “military infrastructure”.

“Israel must halt this escalation,” he said. “For the security of our people and their right to life on their land are not subject to negotiation or bargaining.”

The IDF said the incident that prompted its strike on Ansar had taken place in the Ali al-Taher Ridge, a strategic high ground overlooking much of south-eastern Lebanon and one of the war’s most fiercely contested positions.

A later IDF statement said Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan, who it described as a Hezbollah battalion commander in the Radwan Force unit, had been killed.

“Alongside him, several additional terrorists who were involved in advancing terror attacks against IDF soldiers were eliminated,” it added.

“The strike was specifically directed at Hassan, who was a lawful target under international law, not at his family members who he used as human shields – hiding alongside them inside the military HQ,” the IDF said.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a statement, defending the IDF strike.

It said the Hezbollah attack had seriously injured three soldiers and the response had struck “the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack”.

“Only later did the IDF learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound,” the statement added, before saying “Hezbollah is willing to do anything, including using its own civilians as human shields, to falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, which the IDF clearly did not”.

Hezbollah dismissed Netanyahu’s “false claims” and said Lebanese civilians “were deliberately targeted in their homes, many of whom were reduced to human remains, followed by claims that the locations were military sites”.

Moroccan police arrested nearly 300 people on Saturday as they thwarted a fresh attempt to enter Spain‘s North African enclave of Ceuta following calls on social media for another mass crossing.

The attempted surge came two weeks after more than 72,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta, leaving at least 96 people dead and sparking tensions across Europe.

Morocco’s Le360 media outlet reported that 294 people were arrested, 46 of them Moroccan and the rest from sub-Saharan Africa.

Moroccan police used tear gas to disperse groups of migrants gathered on hills around 3km (1.9 miles) from the border, according to Spanish news agency EFE.

Reporters later saw hundreds of officers, some in riot gear, returning from the hills outside Fnideq.

EFE and Spanish state broadcaster TVE said Morocco’s Interior Ministry ordered their journalists to leave Fnideq immediately, without providing an explanation.

In Ceuta, Spanish soldiers guarded supermarkets while police heavily patrolled the enclave’s main streets. The city was calmer than in the days after the deadly crossing attempt on July 30.

The incident took place in a mountainous area on the outskirts of Castillejos, south-west of Ceuta, Moroccan security forces have said 

Sub-Saharan African and Sudanese migrants gather near Fnideq (Castillejos), Morocco, as they attempt to enter the Spanish city of Ceuta, 15 August 2026

Migrants play with a ball as they wait to enter a short-stay migrants centre CETI at Trampolin beach in Spain’s north Africa’s Ceuta enclave on August 15, 2026

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Migrants rest under a makeshift shelter as they wait to enter a short-stay migrants centre CETI at Trampolin beach in Spain’s north Africa’s Ceuta enclave on August 15, 2026

A Spanish military vehicle arrives at the border with Morocco, following the mass crossings

Migrants are pictured taking shade beneath a tree as temperatures are set to reach 32C on Saturday, as authorities stand watch

Moroccan security forces monitor dozens of sub-Saharan migrants who have gathered on the outskirts of the border town of Fnideq, Morocco

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Moroccan security personnel secure the beach on the border with Spain in Ceuta, on Saturday

A heavy police and army deployment prepare at the border between Morocco and Spain today, after fresh social media calls for people to attempt the crossing

Madrid has since installed a maritime barrier and deployed more than 500 additional police from mainland Spain, raising the total in Ceuta to more than 1,600. The Interior Ministry said the reinforcements would remain for as long as needed.

‘We’ll continue to deploy whatever personnel are necessary to restore normality as soon as possible and prevent events like those of July 30 from happening again,’ Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Thursday.

About 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta, the minister said. Reuters saw hundreds sheltering from scorching heat under makeshift bamboo shelters on the urban beach of El Trampolin.

Grande-Marlaska said migrants who entered irregularly would not be allowed to stay in the enclave, travel to mainland Spain or obtain legal status, except in rare cases involving extreme vulnerability. Those without a right to remain would be returned to Morocco, he said.

Earlier this week, Rabat said it was monitoring ‘the circulation of social media posts and messages of unknown origin’ calling for a mass crossing on August 15, warning it would prosecute organizers and participants.

A Reuters witness saw reinforced security near the border, including police vans with wire shields and road checkpoints. Local media reported similar measures near Spain’s other North African enclave, Melilla.

Authorities prevented several groups from boarding trains and buses to northern Morocco in cities such as Casablanca, Fez and Kenitra. However, witnesses told Reuters that some migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were bypassing security checkpoints by taking mountain routes towards Fnideq.

One witness said the schools in Fnideq had been turned into accommodation for security forces deployed near the border.

Many of the young people who entered Ceuta on July 30 were fishing, swimming or washing at Tarajal beach on Friday.

Driss Sadik, a 22-year-old from Fez who said he swam for five hours to reach Ceuta, urged others not to follow his example.

‘The important thing I would advise people trying to cross: Don’t cross now, my brothers. You’re only going to suffer,’ he told Reuters.

The warning was echoed by Adil Jamil, 17.

‘Those who enter aren’t going to benefit from anything. There will just be more and more of us, and they won’t find a solution for all,’ he said.

Jamil said that the mass border crossings were ‘planned by the people’ who pick a date, gather in Fnideq and cross together to find strength in numbers.

Police and military personnel from Spain and Morocco were both deployed early on Saturday

A boat passes by the sea barrier that the Spanish government installed on the border with Morocco in Ceuta following last month’s mass crossing

Security has been beefed up in the area, including by installing barbed wire on border fences

‘If I had stayed with my parents, I would’ve died slowly. But if I risk my life, arrive and build my future … it will be better,’ he said. 

According to El Pais, one message posted to online forums in which migrants discuss mobilising read: ‘The Ceuta border will be open on the 15th [of August], a public holiday in Spain.’ 

Rachid el-Jalfi, a spokesman for Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior, said on Wednesday that ‘all necessary measures’ had been taken to prevent illegal crossings.

He urged those planning to travel to Ceuta or Melilla to ignore online messages that appeared ‘suspicious and deceptive’, warning that attempts to cross posed ‘serious risks to people’s safety’.

Early last month, Spain’s top judicial body ruled that a procedure used to return illegal migrants only applied when they breached a physical border, rather than when they arrived by sea.

Migrants attempting to cross into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta gather on a hilltop during clashes with Moroccan security forces near the town of Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026

Migrants gather along the fence close to the site of clashes near Fnideq last month

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Relatives and friends wait by a fence topped with barbed wire for the return of people who had previously crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, at Morocca’s Bab Sebta border crossing on the outskirts of Fnideq on August 2, 2026

A woman is escorted by Moroccan security forces during clashes with migrants attempting to cross into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta near the town of Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026

Police vehicles are seen parked close to the Ceuta border ahead of a possible fresh incursion today

Hundreds of soldiers and police personnel have been deployed by both sides

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Under the ruling, migrants who cross an unmarked maritime border can still be returned, but only through a separate formal procedure.

The crisis began on July 30, when more than 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta. The following day, the Spanish government announced plans for a maritime containment barrier, which it began installing off the coast on August 1.

The influx also triggered a diplomatic row within the European Union after Italy temporarily suspended its Schengen arrangements with Spain and introduced checks on travellers arriving from the country by air and sea.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the ‘uncontrolled immigration’ from Morocco into Ceuta as a national security threat.

Spain summoned the Italian ambassador in response, with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares saying Madrid expected ‘European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery’. Spain then suspended its own Schengen arrangements with Italy.

Spanish authorities are meanwhile processing migrants who remain in Ceuta ahead of possible returns to Morocco.

Officials are using warehouses in Tarajal and elsewhere in the enclave to temporarily house migrants while they are identified and processed, with authorities hoping to return those without a right to remain within 72 hours of locating them.

The aftermath of the crossing has also been marred by allegations that several young migrant girls were raped after arriving in Ceuta.

Young men are arrested after attempting to storm the Bab Sebta border crossing near Fnideq, Morocco, July 31 2026

Most of the migrants who entered Ceuta have now left, authorities say

The alleged victims, all under the age of 14, sought treatment at the University Hospital of Ceuta (HUCE) this past week, health services told the El Pueblo de Ceuta newspaper.

Judicial sources said many of the alleged rapes were prevented by the direct intervention of residents of Ceuta.

Some residents of the autonomous city were also among the accused, however.

The Ceuta Prosecutor’s Office previously said it was aware of two of the cases of alleged sexual assault and had opened preliminary proceedings.

It confirmed that no arrests had yet been made.

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks and cornerback Devon Witherspoon have agreed to a four-year, $132 million contract extension, with $101 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract, which would make Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, hasn’t been finalized.

On March 26, the Seahawks exercised their fifth-year option on Witherspoon, but elected to sign him to a long-term deal on the same day they started preseason play against the Dallas Cowboys.

Witherspoon, 25, was selected No. 5 overall by the Seahawks in the 2023 draft. In the same round of that draft, the Seahawks selected wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who in March agreed to a four-year, $168.8 million contract with $120 million guaranteed.

In three seasons with Seattle, Witherspoon has been selected to the Pro Bowl each season. He also made the second-team All-Pro team and helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl last season.

Witherspoon appeared in all three of Seattle’s playoff games during its Super Bowl run, making 17 tackles and four passes defended.

In 43 regular-season games, Witherspoon has 249 tackles, 32 passes defended, 16 tackles for loss, 4 1/2 sacks and two interceptions.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

More replacement journeys have been arranged between Sheffield and Derbyshire for passengers caught up in delays and cancellations following the Totley Tunnel blaze.

A coach will depart Sheffield calling at stations to New Mills Central except Edale at 18:30, National Rail has said.

There is also a 16-seater bus at 18:30 departing New Mills Central calling at stations to Sheffield.

Another 16-seater bus, also at 18:30, will depart Sheffield calling at stations to New Mills Central.

The applicant said the project is ‘exceptionally important from a drinking water resources perspective’

Plans to construct a new building at a “critical facility” aimed at meeting “ever increasing demands” for water supply has been lodged. Cambridge Water Company (CWC) has sought permission from South Cambridgeshire District Council to construct a new water treatment building at Kingston Pumping Station in Great Eversden.

If permission is sought, CWC will construct a new water treatment building alongside modifications to access onto Kingston Road – where the building is proposed to be built.

A planning document reads: “Kingston Pumping Station is a critical facility owned by CWC. This proposal is exceptionally important from a drinking water resources perspective.

“The proposed new treatment plant will enable a disused borehole to be brought back into use in order to add much needed water to the network to meet ever increasing demands on supply.”

A borehole is a narrow shaft drilled into the ground for many purposes, including the extraction of water. This project is one of four locations where CWC are re-introducing environmentally sustainable water sources that have been unused for a period to provide “additional reliable and consistent supply of water to their customers”, a planning document says.

The building will house the treatment plant required to treat the water extracted from the borehole to bring it to drinking water standards for customers. It has been designed with a total capacity of about 1283 cubic metres.

Planning documents say the projects form a core element of CWC’s Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) which sets out how it will deliver “high-quality, secure and reliable water supply over the next 25 years”.

The document adds: “This is particularly important within the Cambridge Water area, where supporting flows in sensitive chalk streams is a key priority. It is essential to upgrade Kingston Pumping Station to ensure a secure and reliable water supply for customers, whilst supporting long-term growth aspirations within the region. There is a clear need to reopen and modernise Kingston water pumping station. The site is long established and the existing borehole is required to come back into service.”

Looking to enjoy the last of the summer with some fish and chips on the beach? This East Anglian location was named one of the UK’s best harbour towns, and you can pick up the catch of the day right on its shores

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A list of the UK’s best harbour towns has seen a surprising winner for East Anglia, and it has even beat destinations such as Cromer and Wells-next-the-Sea for its freshly caught seafood.

The top ten harbour towns were named by the Telegraph, and coming in at number three is a Suffolk location that historically had a harbour, although it doesn’t anymore. However, it’s still considered a harbour town thanks to the fishermen who sell their catch of the day right on the shingle beach.

Aldeburgh has a long maritime history, two of Sir Francis Drake’s most-famous ships were thought to have been built here, and along the Crag Path you’ll find wooden shacks with signs advertising fresh fish and shellfish. You can pick up some seafood to take home, or enjoy pots of smoked, ready to eat fish for your beach picnic.

And when you’re spending the day on the coast, fish and chips are the best way to round off the day, and the nearly 50-year old Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop is just steps from the beach so you can get a takeaway to eat by the sea. The iconic chippy has been reviewed across many media outlets and is often named one of the best in the area.

Walk along the shingle beach along the rows of colourful beach huts that give the town a traditional seaside vibe. At one end, you’ll find the sculpture of a giant scallop, a tribute to composer Benjamin Britten who once enjoyed daily strolls along this stretch of beach.

You can learn more about this charming small town at Moot Hall, a centuries old building now turned into a local museum, and there are exhibits from Anglo-Saxon burial rites to traditional fishing methods.

The hall also served as a jail for women undergoing witch trials in the 17th-century before they were hanged.

Inland, you can explore The Red House, the former home of Benjamin Britten, which is open seasonally for tours. This farmhouse dates back centuries, and is full of objects from the composer’s life, showing where he was inspired to create many of his works.

Aldeburgh also has a charming high street, full of independent shops, art galleries, cafés, and ice cream parlours, adding to the traditional vibe of the town.

Another East Anglian destination also made the top ten. Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk came in at number eight on the Telegraph’s list and was named best for crabbing. It said: “The maritime history of Wells-next-the-Sea dates back to the ninth century, and much of its seafaring heritage remains – from the Old Lifeboat House to various maltings, ropewalks, jetties and slipways. Now, it’s a happy-go-lucky seaside town, appealing but not overly polished, with access to epic beaches.”

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Hosted at Hallgarth Hotel in Coatham Mundeville, the events promise to bring a mix of witchcraft, mediumship, and haunted objects to the region.

They are scheduled for October 30 and October 31.

The first event, Dine with the Devil, will take place on October 30 and offers an evening of mediumship, witchcraft, and haunted objects.

w (Image: Supplied)

Guests will be able to get up close to objects believed to be haunted while enjoying spiritual stories and connections.

The following night will host a Halloween special focused on the darker side of the paranormal.

Attendees can expect talks on witchcraft and mediumship, real-life paranormal experiences, and more cursed objects.

A paranormal investigation will also be offered as an optional extra.

A spokesman for the organisers said: “We are bringing two of the biggest weekends in spirituality witchcraft and paranormal to hit the north east! “If you love the darker side of the paranormal, this is the one for you.”

Looking ahead, a much larger event is planned for 2027.

The Paranormal and Spiritual Festival will take place from September 10 to 12 and is described as one of the biggest of its kind.

Across three days, guests will experience mediumship, witchcraft, spiritual readers and healers, and paranormal investigations, as well as talks from guest speakers.

The festival will also feature a hypnotist, sound therapy, animal psychics, a haunted museum, and UFO specialists.

Workshops, past life regression, and real animal healing are also planned.

VIP tickets are available and include an evening meal each night.

A payment plan is also being offered to make the event more accessible.

The spokesman said: “Whether you’re a seasoned paranormal investigator, interested in spirituality, or simply fascinated by the unexplained, there’s something here for everyone. “Follow the links our my website to book your tickets and find out more.”

More information and ticket booking is available at espweekends.co.uk.

Retro is booming. Nintendo keeps bringing back old games. Hollywood can’t stop making sequels and remakes. Netflix fills our screens with shows inspired by the 1980s. Spotify recommends songs we loved as teenagers. Even Facebook reminds us what we were doing “On This Day” ten years ago.

For businesses, the past has become big. The market for retro entertainment has never been stronger. Companies know that looking backwards can help sell products today. A familiar logo, an old game or a favourite song can create an instant emotional connection with customers.

For years, researchers have explained this success through nostalgia. Looking back on happy memories can make us feel connected to who we are, remind us of people we care about and even help us cope with difficult times. Marketers have learned to tap into these feelings by bringing back old brands, old designs and old experiences.

But what if businesses become too good at selling nostalgia? Research I carried out with colleagues suggests that digital technology is changing nostalgia itself. Ironically, by making the past permanently available, companies may be weakening the very notion they are trying to sell.

Video games show this better than almost any other industry. Not long ago, if you missed an old game, that was it. Consoles became obsolete, cartridges stopped working and arcade machines disappeared. Part of what made those games special was that they belonged to another time.

Today, the opposite is true. Nintendo lets players revisit classic games through online subscriptions. PlayStation regularly releases remastered versions of older titles. Publishers such as Nightdive Studios restore forgotten games for modern computers. Fans can play hundreds of classics through online archives. Old games rarely stay old for long.

Three connected practices

In our research, we argue that companies increasingly rely on three connected practices.

The first is preservation. Digital archives, cloud storage and online libraries keep games, films, music and photographs available for decades instead of allowing them to disappear.

The second is restoration. Old products are cleaned up for modern audiences. Games receive better graphics and sound. AI improves old photographs and recordings. The past returns looking newer than ever.

The third is “foreverisation”. This goes beyond preserving or restoring the past. Companies continually remake, reboot and recycle successful ideas so they never really leave the market. Instead of revisiting the past once in a while, consumers encounter endless new versions of it.

Gaming makes these changes especially easy to see. But the same pattern now shapes television, music, film, fashion and even our personal memories stored on digital platforms.

Nostalgia is bittersweet

This is where philosopher Grafton Tanner offers an interesting twist. He argues that today’s culture is less nostalgic than we think. That sounds strange at first. After all, we seem surrounded by nostalgia. But nostalgia has traditionally depended on something being gone. You missed the TV show because it was no longer broadcast. Your favourite toy broke. The record went out of print. The band split up. The past mattered because you couldn’t go back to it, but now you can – easily.

Psychologists have long argued that nostalgia is bittersweet. It combines warm memories with the knowledge that those moments can’t be relived exactly as they were. That feeling of loss gives nostalgia much of its emotional power.

Digital technology changes this relationship with the past. Almost nothing truly disappears anymore. Old films stream on demand. Games are endlessly remastered. Social media reminds us of what happened years ago without us even asking. Instead of remembering the past, we increasingly live alongside it. The more the past stays present, the less distant it feels. And without distance, nostalgia may become something different.

Selling familiarity

This creates an interesting challenge for businesses. Retro products clearly remain successful. But perhaps companies are no longer selling nostalgia itself. Instead, they may be selling something close to it: familiarity, comfort and recognition.

Those feelings are valuable. Consumers often enjoy revisiting favourite characters, songs and brands. Familiar products also feel safer in uncertain times, which helps explain why companies continue investing in them. Yet our research suggests there is a potential limit to this strategy.

If nostalgia depends on time, distance and the feeling that something has been lost, then endlessly reproducing the past may slowly erode the conditions that make nostalgia powerful in the first place. Consumers may stop longing for the past because the past never actually goes away.

That doesn’t mean retro marketing will suddenly stop working. Familiarity will always have commercial value. But familiarity and nostalgia are not quite the same thing. The irony is hard to miss. The companies that have become most successful at preserving, restoring and “foreverising” the past may eventually exhaust the emotional resource they depend on.

Gaming shows this most clearly today. But as streaming platforms, AI, social media and heritage brands increasingly keep the past permanently within reach, every industry may face the same question: the future of nostalgia may depend on whether we’re still allowed to let go of the past.