More boating festivals to come

More boating festivals to come

Wooden Boat Festival organiser Mark Bergin says he’ll be back in Docklands with another outdoor boating festival.

Mr Bergin said crowd feedback to the inaugural two-day event held over February 20 and 21 was “astounding”.

“It was certainly well beyond my expectation,” he said.  

Mr Bergin said hot winds kept numbers down but, despite not making budget, he was encouraged by the experience of the people who did attend.

“Ice cream vendors talk about the optimum temperature of 25 to 28 degrees to get people out.  We certainly had temperatures up into the 30s,” he said.

He said about 2500 people attended each of the two days, which was a little short of the break even figure.

“It was just fantastic and I am certainly not dissuaded by the financial loss,” he said.

“It may not be a wooden boat festival next time, but I would certainly be looking at an event that celebrates boating in Docklands.”

Mr Bergin said he would be speaking with the Boating Industry Association which also held a show in Docklands last month.

“I am certainly wanting to collaborate with the BIA and whether it’s one festival or a number of events, Docklands is certainly the location,” he said.

Join Our Facebook Group