SCORCHING temperatures and a packed line-up of acts made Yate’s biggest summer event a record-breaker this year.

More than 6,500 people packed into Kingsgate Park on Saturday (June 21) for the town council’s community music festival.

Entertainment came in all forms from a punk ska band to new wave and rock singers with local bands Peruvian Fighting Sheep, Madd Apple Circus, Who’s She, Stiff Upper Lips, Geckoblasters, Dockside, Rhys Coleman and the Spotlight Thieves and Paul in the Hat all taking to the lorry stage.

In between each band there were performances from local dance and gymnastics groups including REDDS, Predator Cheerleaders, Yasmins, Kathryn Hurley Dance Academy, King Edmunds Acrogymnastics, Glitter Bugs, Pure Dance Crew and Street Cred.

Yate town councillor and organiser John Ford told the Gazette: “The weather was fantastic, the crowds were fantastic, the bands were all really good and the cider tent certainly went down well in the sunshine.

“We had some new bands and groups performing this year and they all went down really well and a graffiti artist took a horrible-looking old wall on the toilet block and spent the day turning it into a fantastic piece of street art.”

There were funfair rides and plenty of refreshment stalls to refuel the crowds, which varied in age from a two-week-old baby to a couple in their late eighties.

Added Cllr Ford: “A couple of years ago when we had some really good weather we had about 5,000 people but this year we did even better.

“What I am very pleased about is there is never any trouble.

“To be able to pack 6,500 people into a park with no problems shows great community spirit and that is great for Yate.”

On Sunday (June 22), visitors to the park enjoyed a praise in the park service organised by local churches followed by a picnic in the park featuring Wits Band, Frenchay School Ukulele Band and South Gloucestershire Jazz Orchestra.

In 2015, the music festival will mark its 10th anniversary and Yate Town Council is currently considering ways to mark the milestone.

“We can’t afford Rod Stewart,” said Cllr Ford. “But we are thinking about what we can do. It works so we don’t want to change it but we will try to make it a little bit special.”