The organisers of Great Yarmouth's Out There Festival have praised their "loyal and local" audience after the event went ahead in difficult circumstances.
Poor weather on the Saturday (September 17) and the Queen's death meant last minute changes to the programme which brings together street acts from across the world.
But the festival still drew in around 40,000 people with a "huge" audience of around 5,000 for the Saturday night tribute "Silence".
Joe Mackintosh, artistic director of Out There Arts, said: “Despite the circumstances and the poor weather, the Out There Festival engaged a strong, loyal audience of both local residents and visitors and the feedback to the event has been hugely positive.
"Around 40,000 people attended with a huge audience of around 5,000 people for our Saturday night tribute ‘Silence’ - a powerful and positive moment of shared reflection that has been clearly hugely appreciated, the positive feedback has been enormous.”
He went on: “Putting on the festival with numerous adjustments for the context and changeable weather on the Saturday was challenging but the warmth and enthusiasm of the tens of thousands of people that turned out was really astounding and gratifying.
"It’s also been our strongest ever year in terms of the number of local people volunteering and participating in the festival, and we have reached out more than ever before into neighbourhoods including Cobholm, the Magdalen Estate, Middlegate and Blackfriars Estates."
The Out There Festival featured more than 45 companies and solo artists from across the globe.
As well as Saturday's mass silence hundreds of visitors signed the book of condolence in the St George's Park community marquee.
Veronica Stephens, executive director of Out There Arts added: “The festival is the biggest and most important event in the town's cultural calendar and a hugely important focal point for the outdoor arts sector which has been so impacted by Covid.
"During these challenging times, with the ripple effects of war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and now the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we feel more than ever it is important for people to be able to come together and connect through culture and creativity.”
Out There is funded by Arts Council England and supported by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norfolk County Council, and sponsored by Visit Great Yarmouth.
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