A RECORD-breaking crowd of 6,000 people descended on Upton for the ‘best ever’ Sunshine Festival at the weekend.
Festival-goers flocked to the sixth annual event to see the likes of UB40, Gabrielle and Suzi Quatro perform from Friday (August 28) to Sunday (August 30).
Despite the weather threatening to extinguish the party mood, visitors were still able to enjoy the 100 acts on show – which included comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers who signed autographs after their set for an extra half hour.
Steve High, part of the PR at the festival, told The Observer the event ‘exceeded what was expected’.
“It was fantastic,” he said. “It is out best year ever.
“With the weather as it was we were worried at times, but by the time the 6,000 people had left we had received some fantastic comments so are very pleased.
“I thought the way the acts were received was brilliant and considering it was the first time we tried comedy, it was absolutely packed to the rafters.
“The sheer variety of music was a major highlight.”
The weather caused minor disruptions, including the first caravan on site getting stuck and having to push UB40’s performance forward slightly.
However, spirits remained high and Steve said plans are already afoot to improve the festival next year.
“It has got bigger every year but every time we learn from each event and we are already looking forward to 2016 and planning,” he added.
“We started planning about a month ago so we are fully prepared to get things in place.”
