The Mayor of Oswestry has promised that “lessons will be learned” from the weekend’s Balloon Festival after queues were left waiting outside Cae Glas Park on Saturday.
More than 9,500 people flocked to the park to watch the spectacular display of balloons taking off, but because of limits on the number of people able to get into the park for safety reasons, some were left waiting outside.
The organisers alongside the security team had to close the gates of the park on Saturday, and there were reports of queues stretching back into the town centre of people waiting to get into the free event.
Town Mayor Jay Moore said: “With there being gas and fire within the park, it was a safety issue, it was about how quickly we could get people out of the park should anything ever happen.”
Some eyewitnesses estimated that about 200 people were left queueing outside the park at one point.
Cllr Moore added: “It was very sad that some people that found themselves in a position where they were disappointed, especially if they travelled.
“The ultimate decision to close the gates was made by the security team, that was concerned with the safety
“The safety of the people attending was really important, and it’s completely understandable.
“Some things will be revised in the debrief, lessons will be learned, and hopefully the issues will not be repeated at the next year’s event.”
The Mayor expressed his apologies for the people waiting outside the gates, and although there were some calls to move the festival to a more spacious location he said it would defy the purpose of the community event.
“I want people to know we have heard their complaints, and we care about people’s experiences, positive or negative, and we will hopefully improve for next year,” Cllr Moore added.
