Joe GallopOrganisers of the Highest Point Festival has released figures showing its economic impact in the Lancashire region is estimated to be £4.68m after 35,000 people attended the event at Williamson Park in September.
New stats shared by the festival’s organisers Jamie Scahill, Richard Dyer and Holly Wignall, show that the event created more than 280 jobs within Lancaster.
Results of Highest Point’s economic evaluation, conducted by Red Research, showed a return on investment of £4.26 for the local economy for every £1 invested in the event.
The survey also found that six in ten people who attended Highest Point were local to Lancaster, a fifth travelled from elsewhere in Lancashire, and a further 21% from outside the county. On average it found that tourists stayed for more than one night, with most in hotels in the city, and the total additional trip spend generated estimated to be around £210,000.
Scahill said, “It was amazing to see so many smiling faces at the festival after such a difficult time for everybody. The energy from everybody who attended over the full weekend blew us away. The feedback we received makes our job worthwhile and we are very proud of what we bring to the city of Lancaster each year.”
Marketing Lancashire chief executive Rachel McQueen said, “Festivals of this calibre and character attract large numbers to the area, as evidenced in this new report. They make a huge contribution to our hospitality businesses, as well as to local retailers and suppliers. They are also often the reason new visitors come to the county and having had one great experience in Lancashire, a good proportion of those visitors are usually keen to come back to explore more.”
This year’s edition featured headliners including Rag’n’Bone Man, Rick Astley and Rudimental. With six months to go until next year’s event, early-bird event tickets have already sold out for 2022. The lineup has not yet been announced.