Neill O’Neill
AFTER the success of last year’s event, the free open-air music festival returns to Westport this week for another five nights of entertainment.
Smokie are jetting in from Norway especially to open the festival tomorrow (Wednesday), and huge crowds are expected to pack into the Fairgreen every night as music fills the summer air. Organisers estimate that 50,000 people attended the festival over the five nights last year and even more are expected this time round.
Despite these large numbers, Gardaí reported very little trouble last year, and say that the only incidents of note were public order offences which occurred on the weekend nights. Extra gardaí will be on the streets during the festival and the mounted unit from Dublin will return. They were seen as a particularly effective way of policing the large crowd last year and two horses and their handlers will be on patrol during performance hours this week.
Superintendent Pat Doyle of Westport Garda Station has appealed to publicans to be vigilant during the festival and watch out for people who might be buying alcohol for those under the legal drinking age. He has also called on them not to sell bottles, which people might try to carry around the streets during the performance times, and warned that no glasses or bottles will be allowed in the vicinity of the stage.
The stage has been constructed in the Mall River this year to allow the area be open to traffic during the day, and this extra space will also allow more music fans to sing along from the front row. Another feature this year is the addition of a food emporium beside the stage, and local bands will be playing on the streets throughout tomorrow evening.
Speaking to The Mayo News, Dick Bourke of the organising committee said that all was now in place and he hoped that the recent spell of bad weather would ease and allow the crowds to take to the streets. He said that the festival would not be possible without the help of businesses in the town and the voluntary contributions of those who attend the concerts.
“We are working off a five-year plan and each year we hope to progress it further,” he said. “Next year we are hoping to bring in some big name bands from overseas and we will be working on that once this festival is wrapped up.”
