Thousands see winnning Wakes

Jul 30 2010 Charlotte Paxton

Burntwood’s biggest and best outdoor festival made a welcome return to the town at the weekend and proved a massive success - attracting over 3,000 visitors.

The weather may not have been too kind for Burntwood Wakes Festival but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the thousands who descended on the town on July 23 and 24 for the annual event.

A host of free activities for all the family were crammed into two fun-packed days.

The successful weekend comes after fears the not-for-profit festival was set to be downsized to avoid racking up a huge defecit.

This year’s event - the biggest in Burntwood’s calendar - was run on a shoestring budget of around £42,000

In 2008, the music and arts extravaganza - organised by Burntwood Town Council - cost around £80,000. But despite the dramatic cut in the event’s budget, this year’s festival still proved a huge success.

Visitors were treated to an evening of live music, followed by a family fun day and jazz concert.

Thousands of Burntwood folk enjoyed performances by local bands, but organisers say they may reconsider holding a jazz concert in the future as it ‘failed to attract numbers’.The event began with Wakes Unsigned, which showcased some of the best in local music talent.

Music lovers of all ages descended on Burntwood Rugby Club to enjoy performances by bands including Cold Motive, Fountain of Youth, The Lean Yellows, New Dawn, Thieves Like Us, A is for Vegas, Toxic Federation and Failure by Design.

The showcase, which ran from 6pm until 10.30pm, attracted a crowd of around 800 music fans.

On Saturday, the action kicked off with a whole host of events for the family.

Around 2,500 visitors attended the fun day, where just some of the attractions included a mini football tournament with Burntwood Dragons FC and Pheonix FC.

Lichfield and District Dog Training Society, a freestyle motocross display and live music performances by Ten Days Late and the Bev Pegg Band entertained onlookers.

The varied line-up of entertainment also included a fun fair, giant climbing wall, craft marquee, archery tuition, performances from a dance troupe and appearance by Chester the Clown.

The weekend ended with Jazz in the Park, which included performances by the Shrewsbury Jazz Orchestra, vocalist Laura Collins and Chase Terrace Technology Wind Band.

Mary Danby, of Burntwood Town Council, said: “This year’s festival was a huge success. The Wakes Unsigned on Friday attracted a crowd of around 800 and all the bands went down very well. “