Attendance at this year’s Filton Festival was well in excess of estimates by the team which ran the event in June.
Apex Marquees, which took over running the festival in 2024, said around 1,750 people enjoyed the various attractions and entertainment – having anticipated an attendance of around 1,000.
The company told councillors the overall feedback was positive and that they hoped to run it again in 2025.
The festival returned to the top field at Elm Park after the rain affected 2023 festival was held on Millennium Green.
The attractions laid on included entertainment in the shape of local bands, morris dancers, zumba, colour guard and much more.
There were free kids’ and youth areas run by FACE which were enjoyed by families and young people of all ages.
Craft stalls and local community groups showcased the best of Filton, with the vintage car rides and Filton Twinning French-themed crepes a real hit.
There were food and drink stalls with food from around the world as well as more traditional offerings.
Apex Marquees said that the higher than expected numbers meant they would look at having more food stalls next year as queues were often long.
They told councillors that improvements they would suggest include:
A drinking water source as well as more toilets
Checking the date against other local events
There was criticism over the location of the bands and the gaps between performances, and a call for a wider range of beers.
A spokesman said: “We’d like to tender for the festival next year.
“We feel we’ve built up a good relationship with a lot of the local charities, community groups and musical acts and we’d love to build on the success of this year’s event.”
Among comments from those who attended:
“Was a brilliant free event.”
“Amazing festival for the local community.”
“This is the best festival that has ever happened in Filton.”