Large crowds witnessed the Opening Ceremony last Friday and the Guardian’s Ceremony on Saturday and enjoyed an interesting and diverse range of entertainment at this year's festival.

Festival chairperson Lara Gresham said the big attendance numbers showed how good the festival has become and was reward for the hard work of volunteers.

“Attendance was fantastic,” she said. 

“We have had lots of help and we could not do the festival without the volunteers, they are enthusiastic and hardworking.

The festival runs so smoothly because of them and how well this year’s festival turned out is proof positive of the hard work of our volunteers. ” 

Mrs Gresham said the Guardian’s Ceremony at the Standing Stones was an excellent spectacle this year.

“It’s the pageantry that makes the ceremony,” she said. 

“The banners, the pipes and the gowns, it worked out rather well.” 

Mrs Gresham said she derived much pleasure out of the fun festival attendees were having.

“The highlight for me was seeing that people enjoyed themselves, the comments I have been getting from people is that the feel of this year’s festival was welcoming and in turn that is what made it enjoyable,” she said.

“The people that spoke to me said they enjoyed jousters and they are an attraction that we try to bring to the festival every couple of years to get maximum impact from their show.

“New things like the Celtic wedding have the committee thinking of other ways of bringing Celtic traditions to the fore at the festival.

“We here from feedback that the traditions and cultural aspects of the festival are what is engaging festival goers.”