Organisers of the Dorset Hot Air Balloon Festival have thanked all those who came along to make it a “really special” event - as they hoped it would return next year.
The much-anticipated festival took place at the Dorchester Showground on Saturday, May 4, and Sunday May 5.
As well as hot air balloon tethering, people could also enjoy funfair rides, a selection of food stalls, BMX stunt shows and tribute acts from Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran, Elvis and Cher.
Sunny weather drew thousands on the first day of event however it received a mixed reception due to traffic problems approaching the site, the few toilets available, and confusion as to why balloons would not be flying until later in the evening.
Despite the complaints, many told the Echo they had an enjoyable time with all the entertainment on offer and loved watching the balloons lift in the evening.
READ MORE: Dorset Hot Air Balloon Festival receives mixed reviews
Organisers were optimistic for the following day and while it was not as busy due to the morning’s wet weather, they were happy with how it went as the rain eventually cleared up.
The spokesperson said: “I feel like we’ve had best of both worlds. The Saturday weather was amazing but it was extremely busy and then yesterday once the weather had cleared up, there were no queues to toilets and it was a really relaxed Sunday atmosphere.
“We saw lots of families dancing as well as witnessing some really special moments between families. All in all, we’re really happy with how it went.
“Everyone was really happy seeing the balloons go off, there weren’t as many as Sunday, but they were seen tethering at around 5pm and the flight went off at 7pm.
“On Sunday there were a lot less people, there were half as many - maybe even less than half. But that meant people that came had a different experience to what people found difficult on the Saturday.”
A spokesperson for the event addressed the traffic issues and admitted a lack of traffic marshals as they didn’t anticipate such a huge turnout. Organisers also maintained they have always stressed the event is weather permitting.
However, organisers have admitted they’ve 'learnt some lessons' to take forward for future events.
The spokesperson added: “We had really positive feedback but we’ve also had really good constructive feedback as well on Facebook. We’re open to that and open to improvement.
“For example, we’ve noted there needs to be more toilets as we didn’t anticipate so many people turning up but the weather brought people out."
When asked if the festival will return next year, the spokesperson added: “I want to say yes but we can’t promise anything just yet as we would need to make arrangements with the landlord of the grounds, but hopefully we will be returning to make it an annual event.
“A huge thank you to everyone who came along. We’ve had some really lovely comments which meant the world and we really care about everyone who came in.
“A huge thank you to everyone and for their patience with the traffic and helping to make it a really amazing weekend. People travelled from different parts of the UK like London and Kent so a massive thank you to every attendee for helping to make it a lovely weekend.”
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