THE 25th Popley Festival was a success, with the weather being as good as the turnout.

The community spirit was present as thousands flocked to the event that took place last Sunday to support the festival, where local artists and music were on display.

The first festival took place in 1992, and despite a change in location years ago to Popley Fields, there has been a local festival every year since. This year, there was music from Everest Community Colleges steel band, Zenith, Close to the Coast, Slack5, Byellow and the Zone.

There were also dance performances from Spotlight Dance, Dance to the Beat, Merton School, Youbg and the Gurkha community. There were dren and young people were invited to send their artwork in to be judged, and the mayor and mayoress chose the winner. The competition was sponsored by New Testament Church of God Basingstoke.

They also celebrated the anniversary of another popular fixture in Popley, the local magazine that was set up by the now mayor and mayoress, Popley Matters, in the same year.

Phil continued: “The Popley Festival and Popley Matters were set up in the same year, and they helped us by promoting the first few festivals in the very early days of both the magazine and the festival.”

They celebrated by cutting a cake that was made to look like an issue of Popley Matters.

games available and stalls that featured charities including the Sebastian’s Action Trust.

One of the festival’s organisers Phil Mean said: “The weather was lovely and we had a really great turnout, easily matching the 8,000 over the day that we had last year. The event couldn’t have run more smoothly and the whole event had a really nice music festival feel to it with a relaxing atmosphere.”

The mayor and mayoress of Basingstoke and Deane, Cllr Paul Frankum and Cllr Jane Frankum also attended the event to judge an art competition that was run on the day.

Local children and young people were invited to send their artwork in to be judged, and the mayor and mayoress chose the winner. The competition was sponsored by New Testament Church of God Basingstoke.

They also celebrated the anniversary of another popular fixture in Popley, the local magazine that was set up by the now mayor and mayoress, Popley Matters, in the same year.

Phil continued: “The Popley Festival and Popley Matters were set up in the same year, and they helped us by promoting the first few festivals in the very early days of both the magazine and the festival.”

They celebrated by cutting a cake that was made to look like an issue of Popley Matters.