A FESTIVAL organiser is looking to make his late father proud as he takes over the reins.

Anticipation is building ahead of Chester 7s 2024, with the likes of Peter Andre, Five and Switch Disco set to headline.

For organiser Tom King, it will be an extra special year as he takes over the running of the event following the death of his dad, Tom King Sr, last October, aged 55.

“We just want to make sure we do him proud,” said Tom Jr, 31.

“It’s his event, it always has been and for our family, it always will be.

“We are a family-run event, it has been quite literally built from the ground up.

“We are going to do the best we can in his memory, it’s going to be a great event and I look forward to seeing where we go with it after this year.”

Tom Jr grew up in Winsford, going to school at St Nicholas Catholic High School in Hartford.

He and his brother AJ started playing rugby aged five and six respectively, at Chester Rugby Club.

This ignited a passion in Tom Sr, who fully immersed himself in the club’s activities.

Northwich Guardian: Around 100 rugby and netball teams are expected to compete at the festivalAround 100 rugby and netball teams are expected to compete at the festival (Image: Supplied)

When AJ was 17, he helped organise and raise funds for a tour to South Africa.

And it was on a trip to Bournemouth 7s that he was inspired to launch his own festival.

“Dad just said, ‘why don’t we bring this up to the north of England’,” explained Tom Jr.

“It was his festival, he did it all himself.

“It started out as a local festival all about rugby but as we’ve grown we’ve recognised that the appeal of the event is in the artists and the music side of things, hence we’ve started to build that profile.

“This year looks like it's going to be the biggest lineup we’ve had so far.

“That said, the sport makes the event. Without it, there would be no festival.”

Chester 7s started life at Chester Rugby Club before moving to Winnington Park RFC, whom Tom Jr plays for, around eight years ago.

Around 100 rugby and netball teams are expected to compete at the event, which takes place over the weekend of June 28 and 29.

Alongside the aforementioned music acts, there will be performances from Ibiza in Symphony, Phats & Small, and many others.

Tickets are on sale now at chestersevens.net.