Busiest ever Street Concert is top of the pops
WOKINGHAM’S International Street Concert has been hailed as one of the busiest ever – more than 5,000 music fans flocked to Broad Street to hear a range of musicians.
The free event was organised by Wokingham Town Council and acted as the final part of the annual May month of culture.
Curated by Wokingham’s music legend Pauly Zarb, the evening saw four great acts perform from 6pm.
Pauly’s band AustralianaIrish stepped in after Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours were unable to attend.
Also performing were headliners Funkline, along with The Trenchtown Experience, and local group The Marisa Rodriguez Duo.
Visitors could also enjoy a food court, and the Broad Street Tavern set up an outdoor bar so that beers and cold drinks could be supped in the evening heat.
The Bavarian sausage stall did a brisk trade all night, with the queue reported to be around 15-20 people long until supplies ran out.
This is the fifth year of the concert.
Cllr Gwynneth Hewetson, who chairs Wokingham Town Council’s arts and cultural committee, told The Wokingham Paper: “It all went brilliantly well, it was an absolutely fantastic night.
“About 5,000 people came on the night. The first people arrived around 5pm and they kept coming and coming. It was unbelievable.
And Cllr Hewetson felt that there was something special having the music in the street as opposed to taking place in a park.
“It’s not just the music or the food and the drinks, it’s about being in the town centre, there’s something magic about that.
“There were about 5,000 smiling faces and there were no problems at all. Everyone enjoyed themselves, this was a real family event in a real family town.
“I’d like to thank everyone who attended, they all behaved themselves and thoroughly enjoyed themselves: it was such a joy seeing children have freedom to move around as it takes place in a secure area.”
She added: “It felt like what Wokingham used to feel like and what it will feel like when all the works are done.”