SPIEGELTENT DRAWS 20,000
Curtain comes down on best year yet
AS the curtain came down on another Wexford Spiegeltent Festival last week, organisers are reflecting on what has been their biggest year to date. The festival has grown in popularity each year and not only brings visitors from far and wide, but provides a spectacular venue in which the people of Wexford can see some stellar acts.
According to the organisers, this year’s festival saw over 20,000 guests enter the Spiegeltent Paradiso on Wexford’s quayfront and was worth in the region of €5 million to the local economy.
The feedback from this year’s festival has been overwhelmingly positive from both performers and gig-goers alike. Before delivering a side-splitting set, comedian John Bishop created an Instagram video specifically on how impressive the ‘green room’ backstage for performers was and expressing his gratitude. Perhaps the shows which garnered the biggest reaction were Jools Holland and his massive troop of musicians, who dazzled those lucky enough to get tickets, and Sinead O’Connor who appeared to be getting back to her best, captivating the audience with her haunting vocals.
Then there was two sold-out nights of the Coronas which gave fans a unique opportunity to see them in an intimate setting, complete with huge confetti bombs!
Keith Barry mind-hacking Wexford hurlers Lee Chin and Jack O’Connor made for some great laughs, while King Kong Company’s crazy live show also had tongues wagging. Great evenings were also enjoyed with Mick Flannery, Jack L, Hudson Taylor, The Academic, Wild Youth, Reginald D Hunter, Neil Delamere and more.
In fact, a grand total of 200 performers made their way onto the Spiegeltent stage over the course of nearly three weeks.
Brian Byrne, the man behind the festival, was keen to thank the people of Wexford for once again taking the Spiegeltent to their hearts.
‘ The Spiegeltent thrives year after year in no small part due to the people and community that surrounds it, and we would like to thank Wexford once again for the unbelievable support,’ he said.
‘ The buzz around town during this year’s festival was palpable, and kept the thrill going from beginning to end. At this year’s festival alone there was €5 million developed in economic impact, largely influenced by the enthusiasm for the Spiegeltent by the residents and businesses in the area.’