Festival is a hit (From Western Telegraph)

Festival is a hit

Pembroke's first ever festival of arts and culture has been hailed a major hit, guaranteeing its future as an annual event.

Thanks to generous funding from Europe, public bodies, business and individual supporters, the organising committee served up a diverse ten-day programme of music, entertainment and culture.

A party atmosphere filled the streets and parks of Pembroke on the final weekend as the festival reached a lively and colourful highpoint.

The Mediterranean-style weather lured crowds of people to The Commons where bands, including The Scoundrels and The Crawfords, performed in the open air.

It set the atmosphere for the ambitious grand finale on the South and North Quays and yet more live music - accompanied this time by stunning pyrotechnics.

A procession of lanterns carried by local school children set off when darkness fell. The South Pembrokeshire community arts project, Sand Palace Arts, co-ordinated this striking project and drew the party to a close by launching two illuminated Celtic swans onto the Castle Pond.

Tickets for many of the events in the week leading up to the festival's grand finale sold out and local businesses reported an upturn in business, as visitors were drawn to the area.

Children from several local schools visited Pembroke Town Hall on Friday to watch the internationally acclaimed Green Ginger Puppet Theatre perform Frank Einstein, an hilarious spoof version of Mary Shelley's classic novel.

The company lived up to its glowing reputation with a quality production which previously enjoyed a sell-out run at the Jim Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre in New York.