Bradford on Avon had a taste of life around the globe as the town put on its second annual International Festival.
The event, from Friday to Sunday, celebrated Wiltshire’s cultural diversity with activities including a food festival, a children’s day and a disco.
The event, held inside St Margaret’s Hall, opened with a food festival and stalls offering a selection of cuisine from many nations.
On Saturday a Countries Market was staged, followed by a disco. The festival drew to a close on Sunday with a children’s day.
Organiser Wellie O’Driscoll said: “The festival went very well, especially on the Saturday.
“There was more than enough things going on to please our visitors, but, of course, there is always room for improvement in the future.”
Ms O’Driscoll said the event attracted a lot of tourists who were visiting the town and she was particularly pleased to see so many people of different nationalities attending.
She said: “My particular highlight was meeting the various nationalities of people who came out. We attracted a lot of people, from Spaniards to Iranians. It was great to discover just how culturally vibrant this area is.
“We have a lot of ex-pats living locally and I really enjoyed meeting them.”
Other highlights included belly dancing performances in St Margaret’s Hall and a karate display in Westbury Gardens.
Ms O’Driscoll said plans were already under way for next year’s Bradford on Avon International Festival.
She said: “I’ve already started looking toward next year’s event and I’m very keen to build on the success of this year’s.
“We tended to attract a lot of tourists this year, so I think I’ll probably look at revising the dates slightly next year, so that we are in the peak of the tourist season.”
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