More than half a million people attended the first Bournemouth Wheels Festival over the bank holiday weekend, spending around £9million in the town centre.
The Coastal BID sponsored Pier Jump was a favourite with spectators, and attracted national press attention.
The Wheels Festival has been hailed a smash hit with an estimated 500,000 visitors across the weekend. The event – boosted by good weather on both Saturday and Sunday – is believed to have brought around £9 million into the town. Organisers have confirmed the festival will become an annual event. Mark Smith, director of tourism said: “It has been amazing. It has exceeded all of our expectations. People have been saying that they can’t believe it’s only the first one.”
Chairman of the Bournemouth Accommodation and Hotel Association (BAHA), Paul Clarke, said: “It has been a massive success, another new experience for the town. People have been overwhelmed by the event and there have been very few, if any hotel rooms left.”