Ludlow Fringe Festival hailed a huge success

The final curtain has come down on the Ludlow Fringe Festival, which has seen music, dance, comedy, theatre, poetry, talks and workshops take place across the town for three weeks.

More than 70 different acts - many of them on their way to Edinburgh Fringe Festival - have performed various shows in the town to the delight of locals and visitors who have filled Ludlow Brewery, The Rose & Crown, the Assembly Rooms, the Chang Thai, outdoor event spaces and the streets.

The much anticipated return of the festival has been deemed a huge success with thousands of visitors attending from all over the country

Anita Bigsby, director of Ludlow Fringe Festival, said: "We are delighted with the number of visitors the festival attracted this year.

"We worked very hard to make it accessible, involve as many people as possible and put on the biggest and best event yet - and it seems we did just that.

"After disruption due to Covid it seems people really were looking to get out and have a fun and enjoyable experience - it is great to see and know how much support the festival has raised locally, regionally and nationally over the past 10 years.

"The whole festival was absolutely fantastic and it has been excellent to see the smiles on people's faces and feel the buzz about the town. Since it started on June 18, there has just been day after day of fun and laughter.

"We've sold out a lot of shows - and even had to put on extra tickets for some - and despite bad weather at times, we've had great audiences who have really been up for having fun.

"It has been an exciting year for us with the 10th birthday of our vibrant and diverse festival and we wanted to create events for everyone to get involved with, the people of the town to own, and I think we've managed that."

Events at this year's three-week festival included an Eco Carnival, the first in the town for 15 years, comedian and impressionist Alistair McGowan, Ludlow man Henry Madd returning with his poetry and spoken word show, Flabbergast Theatre's Tragedy of MacBeth, live jazz, dance classes, an art masterclass and much more.

Anita added: "It will be a hard task to get bigger and better next year, but plans are already being made and we're certain we can rise to that challenge.

"So watch this space!"