Downpours did little to dampen the spirits of performers and attendees at the 32nd Australian Celtic Festival on Sunday.
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Some activities were washed out for the second day of the festival, but many performances and ceremonies were moved indoors to the Glen Innes Services Club and the Town Hall.
"It was really well done, plan B worked so well that it filled the main street up with cars and people," Mayor Rob Banham said on Monday.
"It was great to have the services Club to fall back on and opening up the town hall it worked well."
Festival coordinator Rhonda Bombell echoed the sentiment.
"Pat Lonergan and the team at the Services Club, they had us set up within two hours and holding official ceremonies in town hall, they were packed out and many think the attendance was bigger than normal," Ms Bombell said.
She said Saturday was magical with markets, food and live music attracting a strong crowd, and even as the clouds closed in it only linked the festival even more to its Celtic roots.
"To see the mist come through, it really did conjure that Celtic heritage," she said. "[The weather] is never really a problem, just when it got challenging for people to get around we had that big decision to make [on Sunday morning]."
"But the sun would peak out occasionally and the stallholders were still running."
Ms Bombell said some events had a bigger crowd then normal, describing Saturday's dawn ceremony as "incredible", while she said musicians performed late into Sunday night at various businesses in town.
"There was a fantastic atmosphere, it was right into the evening all along Grey Street where the performers were playing," she said.
Cr Banham said ticket sales were up on last year, while describing the Showground as a "mini city" with more than 440 camping sites booked out.
"Even with the rain we had a very successful festival and people are already booking in for next year, that's the part I love about it," Cr Banham said.
"Visitors come earlier in the week and they leave a couple of days after and it's great for business, it's great for our community and the LGA."
Ms Bombell and the team at the Visitor Information Centre had also been bombarded with positive feedback, noting the variety and calibre of live performers. The exposure for Glen Innes was also welcome with some saying they had found the town "a hidden gem".
Cr Banham said it was a "virtual doubling" of the town's population for the festival.
Ms Bombell confirmed there were more than 5000 visitors across the weekend and she was particularly thrilled to see a younger demographic taking part with almost 1000 kids among the attendees.
"There must have been nearly 1000 kids visiting and to have them enchanted with the highlands games and the jousting and the children's marquee was wonderful," she said.
This year, the chamber of commerce arranged a Celtic Food Trail and Cr Banham said he and the deputy mayor had shared in some of the judging of the various Celtic dishes local businesses had produced.
"What a great job that is, the different foods they put on were amazing and they were selling out, which is a wonderful result."
The pair also praised Murphy's Pigs as a popular live act along with the Celtic Women who entertained at the services club for hours on Sundays in front of a packed crowd of about 600 people.
A similar crowd flooded the town hall for various Celtic Country Ceremonies on Sunday.
Irish Consul General to Sydney Rosie Keane also attended and Cr Banham said she was a lovely guest to welcome for the celebrations of the Year of Ireland and the Isle of Man.
"Everyone flocked to her and she was so gracious," Cr Banham said.
Asked if there were any particular highlights, Cr Banham said there was "too much to talk about" praising the quality and array of market stalls, the live music and dance performances and the incredible response to food vans at the festival and the food trail in town.
Like Cr Banham, Ms Bombell said it was hard to pick any one thing, but praised efforts to shuffle Sunday's events indoors.
"I can't really pinpoint a highlight either, except to say that seamless transition to transfer the performances and adapt that quickly," she said.
Jacob McMaster
I am passionate about amplifying people's stories and trying to do them justice in the written word. I find pressure washing videos soothing. email me jacob.mcmaster@austcommunitymedia.com.au or 0406 212 845.
I am passionate about amplifying people's stories and trying to do them justice in the written word. I find pressure washing videos soothing. email me jacob.mcmaster@austcommunitymedia.com.au or 0406 212 845.
