Aldeburgh and the surrounding area has inspired many authors and poets in the past but the most famous son of the town is Benjamin Britten, who founded the Aldeburgh Music Festival, which now has worldwide acclaim and is held every year in June at Snape Maltings. Fishermen still pull their colourful boats up on the shingle beach and sell fresh fish from the picturesque huts. The wide, mainly Georgian high street has many attractive buildings whilst the seafront properties all have commanding views of the beach and the North Sea. Boating is popular on the nearby Alde estuary where a large variety of yachts can be seen at summer weekends.