Harvest festival draws its largest crowd in a decade

The harvest festival in the market square drew about 18,000 visitors over three days, the organisers said on Monday, the highest figure in ten years. Dry weather on all three days helped: last year's festival lost its Sunday to rain.

Ninety growers and producers from the surrounding valley had stalls this year, against 68 a year ago. Apples, pears and squash were the main crops on sale, along with honey, cheese and bread from nine bakeries.

The programme

The long table on Saturday evening seated 420 people for a meal cooked from produce bought on the square that morning. Tickets sold out in two days. The organisers say they will add a second sitting next year rather than a longer table, because the square cannot take one.

The children's programme, held for the first time in the school yard next to the square, had 1,100 visits. The pressing of the first apple juice, a tradition at the festival, took place at noon on Sunday.

What the growers reported

Several growers said they had sold out by Sunday lunchtime. The apple harvest in the valley is about a fifth larger than last year's, according to the growers' association, while pears are down slightly after a cold week in April.

Next year's festival is planned for the first weekend of September. Applications for stalls open in March.