Thousands indulge at thriving Food and River Festival

MELKSHAM Food and River Festival again brought in a crowd of thousands last weekend and has been hailed a huge success by organisers.

The festival, held over 3rd and 4th September, saw over 5,000 people turn up at King George V Park to enjoy a vast array of food, drink, and fun and games at the town’s fastest growing event.

Highlights of the hugely popular two-day festival included a gruesome chilli eating competition, free canoeing sessions, boat trips, and food of all kinds on sale at stalls in the park.

Organiser Adrienne Westbrook said, “I think it was an absolutely fantastic weekend! We were nervous on Saturday because of the weather but we got really lucky; it was a nice warm day and somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 people turned up over the weekend. It was brilliant to see so many children enjoying the canoeing; 83 new young members signed up  for the canoe club over the weekend!

“In the food festival, the smells of the cooking and the sound of the music just made for an amazing, relaxing atmosphere. The chilli eating competition was definitely the most popular part of the food section again; the winner for the second year, Thomas Chiad, must have a mouth and a gut of steel!

“Why the contestants would want to put themselves through that I will never know, but it was hugely entertaining for the rest of us.

“We’ve had fantastic feedback from the stallholders and people who came along, so I’m very pleased with how the whole event went.

“We’ll definitely be doing it again next year and I’d like to get more going on on the Saturday. We’ll be aiming even higher next time!

“We get really good support from local people and Melksham definitely has enough people to keep the event growing, so I can’t wait to see how we can improve next time.”