Thousands of residents and visitors made their way down to Penarth Esplanade over the weekend as part of Penarth Summer Festival. Stage entertainment, a wonderful firework display, the return of waterski competition and the ever-popular Downhill Derby were just some of the activities on offer during the action-packed weekend.
Organisers Penarth Town Council praised their partner events team, Production 78 for their role in delivering the Festival, which was officially Plastic Free for the first time, in line with recent environmental successes in the town.
“The Esplanade can be a tricky spot to get right when it comes to events,” a Town Council spokesperson said. “But we worked hard with Production 78 to provide a fun packed weekend with plenty to do and see. A huge thank you to Pendragon Fireworks too for their fantastic fireworks. All the feedback has been great. Thank you to everyone who took part, everyone who took the time to share their photos and videos with us over at Facebook and Twitter, and of course a very big thank you to everyone who attended.”
The praise provided by the public included comments regarding accessibility during the event, with one Facebook user saying, “The view from the disabled viewing area was excellent. Thank you for all the effort made in accommodating disabled/wheelchair users. We had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.”
As usual, people flocked to watch the thrills and spills of the Downhill Derby unfold over the course of Saturday afternoon. Entrants were a wide range of age, experience and competitiveness, with winners declared for each of the under-12s, 12-16s and over 16s categories. Popular local traders Hamptons / Shore Penarth, based on The Esplanade, also won the ‘Best Kart’ award for their brilliant interpretation of Dick Dastardly’s Mean Machine.
The Festival also gave visitors a chance to witness Waterski Racing South West undertake their Penarth Regional Race on Sunday. Organised by Anthony Scaccia and Penarth Waterski and Wakeboard Club, it was a fantastic return to the ‘Cardiff Riviera’ after a long absence, with the race ultimately being watched by over 5000 people.
Visitors also enjoyed the open air art exhibition along Cliff Walk. Many thanks to Jilly Hicks for her co-ordination.
Next up in terms of events for Penarth Town Council is the return of Picnic Penarth on the 14th and 15th September 2019. To keep updated on all Town Council events, look to www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk or search for ‘Penarth Town Council’ on social media.
