ONE of the pivotal events of Newton Abbot's Jubilee celebrations, the Party in the Park, pulled in huge crowds of young and old over three days, with an eclectic mix of musical styles to suit every taste.
After a run-up fraught with programme changes, the 'mini-Glastonbury' event came together superbly, with the few minor glitches soon ironed out by the Platform for Performers Group and organiser Martin Arliss.
'It went very, very well,' said a relieved and recovering Mr Arliss on Wednesday.
'The only problems we did have were when a couple of bands pulled out at the last minute. Fortunately we were able to fill the slots so there were no gaps.
'It was a really mixed family event and that is exactly what we were after and why we tried to get as many different acts as possible. I remember at one point seeing three different generations of the same family all sitting together and enjoying a band which is what it's all about.'
As main organiser, Mr Arliss had little time to sit down and enjoy the extravaganza he had helped create, but he was still caught up in the mood.
'Highlights for me were Dirtbox on Sunday, who I always enjoy, and Too Hot on Monday, who were followed by the fireworks. When the display had finished they played the national anthem and everyone joined in. It was incredible; the atmosphere was absolutely electric.
'The bands all seemed to have a good time, because there's not a lot of events like this. They all enjoy playing outdoors to big crowds of course too!'
'Organising the event was a very steep learning curve for me, but the Platform for Performers Group, who handle Air Fusion, were fantastic, especially Paul Stevenson and Matt Ward. We had an excellent crew who were all very professional. I really enjoyed myself and I've even been asked to help out with Air Fusion!'
For the chairman of the Jubilee Working Party, Cllr Henry Cole, who watched Party in the Park grow from a small idea to a huge three day festival of music and performance, the success of the event was very rewarding. 'It was a lot of hard work but it definitely paid off,' said Cllr Cole, who also commended the Platform for Performers Group for their support. 'The only disappointment was that the ground was too soft for the full fairground, so we couldn't have the big rides. However, no-one came and asked where those rides were so they can't have been missed that much.
'Apart from that and a few complaints everything was fantastic. It was very well attended and hugely enjoyable. The turnout for the Newton Abbot Churches performance was brilliant; I've never seen that many people for one of their events.
'Our fireworks were brilliant too, identical to those in Paignton, and Paul Stevenson had arranged for some music to be played during the display which I don't think anyone knew about. It really was great.
'The ATC cadets were tremendously helpful. Every morning they were up and at work and there wasn't a spot of litter left anywhere.
'There was no real trouble either. We had our 20 stewards walking around and the police were in site too. There were a few little arguments but no-one was arrested.'
'I'm really pleased with how the whole thing went. We all worked very hard but we achieved it.'