GATWICK has launched its first ever airport-wide festival to celebrate the start of the British summer in style.

Entertainment and exclusive products are on offer for the 12 million passengers expected to travel through the airport between now and the end of August – and Gatwick is iving away a total of £5,000 in vouchers across the summer to get passengers’ holidays off to a flying start.

For the Summer Festival – which comes as Gatwick celebrates its 60th anniversary year – the airport has partnered with World Duty Free, who are offering “festival glow” 10-minute makeovers to passengers in-store at the MAC counter, as well as several other express treatments from other brands, free of charge.

The retailer has also launched a number of exclusives across their entire product range, including fragrances, drinks, sunglasses and summer suncare.

For the first time ever, World Duty Free has introduced two new spirits that are both completely exclusive to Gatwick.

The first is a Sour Cherry and Coconut Gin Liqueur, created by St Andrews-based distillery Eden Mill, while the other exclusive is Caribbean-sourced white rum Democrático – the perfect base for inspired cocktail creations!

Both spirits can be enjoyed in cocktails that are being served in World Duty Free, as well as in restaurants throughout the airport during the summer.

The ‘Summer Sling’ – made with the Eden Mill Gin Liqueur – is available in the Nicholas Culpeper restaurant, home of the world’s first airport gin distillery, while the Democrático Rum is the main ingredient in the ‘Summer Festival Rum Punch’, available in Giraffe and WonderTree.

A special edition, non-alcoholic “mocktail” is also being served.

Gatwick’s Summer Festival will also transform the airport’s North and South terminals into fully-fledged festival fun-zones, with top family entertainment being staged throughout the summer.

The launch of Gatwick’s Summer Festival also sees the introduction of the airport’s very own draught ale.

Gatwick has partnered with the Westerham Brewery Company, a local real ale producer based in Westerham, Kent – just 12 miles from the airport – to create a bespoke extra pale ale, fittingly named ‘The Toast of the Terminal’.

The ale, available in Gatwick’s Flying Horse, Red Lion and Beehive restaurants, is an international blend that also remains true to its local roots, brewed with hops from Kent, as well as Germany and the USA.

Rachel Bulford, Head of Retail, Gatwick Airport said: “Summer has officially begun at Gatwick.”