Thetford Forest enjoys a 'phenomenal' summer of gigs
Ian Clarke The 2010 Thetford Forest gig season drew to a close in perfect summer weather on Saturday - and organisers have described the six-concert series as 'absolutely phenomenal'.
Ian Clarke
The 2010 Thetford Forest gig season drew to a close in perfect summer weather on Saturday - and organisers have described the six-concert series as “absolutely phenomenal”.
The High Lodge centre was bathed in beautiful evening sun all week as Scouting For Girls thrilled a 6,000-strong crowd on Thursday, then The Saturdays entertained an excited audience of 3,500 on Friday and the following evening, another 3,500 people were wowed by successful singer-songwriter Katie Melua.
In June, a total of almost 20,000 fans saw Simply Red, Keane and The Doves in the forest.
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As the staging was taken down and the forest returned to normal, the Forestry Commission reflected on a hugely successful season.
While other venues in the region have not staged open air concerts this year, Thetford has proved as popular as ever with nearly 33,000 people attending the six events.
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Efforts are under way to find acts for next summer - and there are hopes to attract even bigger names in 2011.
To extend the attraction of Thetford Forest to visitors, there are also plans in place to stage winter enchanted walks through the woods.
Forestry Commission spokesman Roger Woods said: “The Thetford gigs season has been absolutely phenomenal. Given the current economic climate, people can still find the money and come out on a summer evening and have a good time, and there is no better setting for it.
“This is first of the mini music festivals this summer and it just shows the appetite there is for outdoor music.”
Mr Woods said people travelled from long distances for the gigs and he said the venue was “ideal” for the region, and much more accessible than arenas in London and Birmingham.
“We target big names and people can travel a reasonable distance to see big acts.”
To see the review from Thursday's Scouting For Girls gig visit our website www.edp24.co.uk.
There are also more pictures from the concerts this week.
