A record number of visitors headed for Warwick this weekend to attend the 'best ever' Warwick Folk Festival.

World class music, spectacular dance displays, a superb range of family entertainment and good weather — these were the perfect ingredients for the highly successful event that ran from Thursday to Sunday, 28-31 July.

Now in its 32nd year, the festival attracted folk acts and fans from across the world but was also a huge hit with the locals with hundreds of families enjoying the big choice of entertainment across the main festival site at Warwick School, Myton Road.

An estimated 20,000 people attended events in this year's packed programme, not only in the main venues but also in the many town centre pubs and restaurants that took part this year, plus the free open-air concerts in Warwick's Market Place.

Big name guests included top English acoustic roots act Show Of Hands, the internationally acclaimed celtic-latin act Salsa Celtica and Australia's famous all-male choir The Spooky Men Chorale.

Festival Director Dick Dixon was delighted with the audience response to this year's event.

He says, 'At the end of the last main concert, someone came up and told me this was the best ever folk festival he had ever been to and he was certainly coming back next year. For me that says it all'

The secret of the festival's success? According to Dick, it's sheer team work. He says, 'We have a fantastic team of people who have worked hard all year to make this one of the leading events on the folk calendar'.

Plans are already underway for next year's Warwick Folk Festival which takes place on July 27-29. For further details, visit the festival website on www.warwickfolkfestival.co.uk

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