Thousands flock to Town Centre Countryside Festival

22 June 2015

The Blackburn BID smashed its visitor target on Saturday, with its first big event of the year. Despite wet weather for most of the day, the Countryside Comes to Town event, featuring CBBC star Mr Bloom, attracted 29,000 additional visitors to the town centre compared to an average Saturday.

BID Manager and Organiser, Harriet Roberts thanked traders for their support and praised partners at The Mall, The Bee Radio, Blackburn Cathedral, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Blackburn Market, Blackburn Library and the Museum for supporting the festival which had nature themed activities for families in locations across the town centre.

Popular attractions included a mobile petting farm, vintage tractor display, a talking compost heap and creepy crawly handling. There was street theatre including human-sized insects, stage show entertainment on King William Street and a 'makers market' of arts and crafts stalls on Town Hall Street.

'It was a thrill to see the town so busy and the happy smiling faces. Blackburn Market was buzzing with a whole aisle dedicated to free activities for families provided by Blackburn College and The Young Weavers with Matilda the Cow. The museum, which normally attracts around 80 people on a Saturday had counted 1,100 by lunchtime as people queued to see the live creatures, insect balloon modelling and the natural history collection. The rain didn't seem to put people off having a good time.'

The Blackburn BID's events continue throughout the summer with the monthly Town Hall Street Fairs on Saturday 18 July, Saturday 15 August and the Blackburn Heritage Festival weekend 12 and 13 September which will feature free hop-on hop-off vintage bus rides, helter skelter, carousel and big wheel.