THE biggest event to take place in Southampton in 17 months went ahead in all its neon glory at the weekend.

Up to 15,000 revellers descended on The Common on Saturday for the Let’s Rock festival, a glorious celebration of the decade that fashion forgot.

There were neon colours, perms, shoulder pads, leg warmers and 80s fashions as far as the eye could see at the event, which required Covid double vaccination status or a lateral flow test negative result to allow entry.

Pop princess Toyah opened Let’s Rock dressed in a sequin dress and performed her 80s hits including Echo Beach and It’s A Mystery.

Revellers, some dressed as 80s characters like Wonder Woman, Baywatch lifeguards and Mr Motivator, enjoyed boozy picnics in the sunshine as they spent the afternoon enjoying Five Star and Go West.

The Midge Ure classic Vienna went down a storm with thousands of fans raising their arms and swaying along.

Between sets, the appreciative audience enjoyed a mass singalong to Euros anthem Sweet Caroline and got their dancing shoes on for Agadoo and Superman.

The usual hundreds strong Conga snaked its way around the arena as a set of storm troopers posed for pictures.

Young guests enjoyed a circus skills area and fundraisers raised thousands for Child Bereavement UK by selling their brightly-coloured wrist bands.

Hour long sets from synth pop legends OMD and Love Is All Around and Goodnight Girl crooners Wet Wet Wet closed the event, which will return in 2022!

Let’s Rock Southampton 2020 was cancelled during the pandemic and this year’s festival was postponed to today from its usual early July slot to allow government restrictions to ease.

The colourful celebration of all things retro first arrived in Southampton in 2014.

2019 was the most successful summer series in Let’s Rock’s history, with 12 festival locations across the UK and a total audience of over 150,000.