The party might be over but the clean-up operation for this year’s Bingley Music Live Festival is well under way.
Bradford Council workers were at Myrtle Park first thing yesterday to start the major clear-up after an estimated 37,000 revellers visited the annual three-day music event.
Bingley Music Live festival manager Andrew Wood said Bradford Council’s senior parks manager had been on-site assessing damage to the ground which was churned up by tens of thousands of people who turned up to see headline acts including The Charlatans, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Razorlight and DJ Fresh.
He said: “The ground has been cut up – there is nothing that we could do about that – but we will be working all week to get on repairing the park.
“There will be re-instatement work going on, providing the ground conditions are right and we should be out by the end of the week, all being well. We will get rollers and new grass seed, which will grow back in its own time. But the conditions are warm and wet, so it shouldn’t take too long.”
The number of people who attended the festival appeared to be down on previous years, when more than 40,000 have visited the Bradford Council-run festival.
However, this year saw the introduction of a new stage, the Music Centre Stage, along with the Raise The Roof Stage for emerging, local talent and areas for children’s entertainment.
Mr Wood said: “This year has been a great success. We have been developing it and fine tuning it each year to make it better every time for festival attendees.
“It felt more like a festival this year because, other than the main stage, we had more variety with more stages and a children’s area. I walked down there and saw lots of children enjoying themselves and having their faces painted. It worked really well.
“We have yet to do a full evaluation but we know from previous years that pubs, shops, cafes and eateries certainly see the impact on the local economy from the festival.”
Music fans were praised by police after officers made only seven arrests, all for drunk and disorderly or other public order offences, a spokesman said. There were 12 arrests last year.
A police spokesman said: “Bingley Music Live passed peacefully and successfully with only seven arrests for only minor offences and no serious incidents over three days when 32,000 people attended.”
Councillor Andrew Thornton , Bradford Council’s executive member for environment, sport and sustainability, said: “The extensive media coverage the festival attracts presents a positive image of the Bradford district and plays a crucial role in increasing tourism and bringing money into the local economy.”
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