With a combination of entertainment and shopping, the Cambridge Festival’s carnival day has broken foot traffic records in town. Photo – Michael Jeans.
Cambridge came alive on Autumn Festival Carnival Sunday, cracking the record for foot traffic in the main street.
Held on April 15, the Festival saw almost 5,000 people traversing town – wandering in to see the street entertainers, music and dance of local performers and to visit the open shops.
Autumn Festival Trustee Alana MacKay said they were delighted with the turnout.
“We are thrilled that so many people from Cambridge, and further afield, came to enjoy the Carnival Day in our beautiful and talented town,” she said.
Autumn Festival Trustee David McCathie said the carnival now has the support of beyond just the region.
“This year we welcomed more from outside Cambridge, predominantly from Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga and Rotorua. The Cambridge Autumn Festival was promoted in the NZ Herald as an event to attend and with large coverage from our local papers we are confident this assisted such an influx.”
With the pedestrian count being recorded by a digital counter in central Victoria Street, the previous record was held by Friday December 22, 2017 – a big day of bustle before Christmas, and also a Love Cambridge day of promotion.
Cambridge Chamber of Commerce CEO and Love Cambridge Director Tania Witheford said after a relatively steady six months in the later part of 2017, 2018 has started strong.
“So far this year we have seen a steady rise in the number of people walking the main street,” she said. “And this is without the big influx of Maadi, as it is not our year of hosting.
“It has us wondering what will topple this new record. The Cycling Festival? Mother’s Day? Both are set to be big.”
And anticipation is already building for beyond, with a massive January and eventful 2019 on the calendar.
