Risca Beach Party, a new event that was held in Tredegar Park on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May, saw an overwhelming number of visitors enjoy the glorious sunshine and 130 tonnes of sand that was laden with picnic blankets, deckchairs, buckets and spades.
Risca town centre footfall counter, located slightly away from the park by Risca Library, clocked nearly 1,500 visitors over the two day event, whilst the beach entrance recorded nearly 5,000 visitors passing the entranceway into the giant sand pit over the weekend.
Caerphilly events team overheard people of all ages enjoying what felt like a day at the seaside minus the sea! Children squealed as they saw the mountain of sand to play in, whilst adults of all ages enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere, watching their children play in a safely contained area. Many families set up their pitch for the day, as visitors arrived in their droves to enjoy the free event which offered a free beach, free deckchairs and picnic blankets, free donkey rides and free Punch and Judy shows.
There was a selection of stalls from cakes and sweets to donuts and hot drinks as well as an array of funfair rides, face painting and slime workshops for the children. Some traders sold out and the town centre hospitality businesses were chock a block with queues for fresh fish and chips, hot drinks and refreshments. Cafes and shops were inundated as swarms of visitors moved between the beach and town centre to keep hydrated and fed throughout the day.
CCBC events team and community safety wardens patrolled the area to keep the park safe, whilst many other council departments helped in advance of the event to ensure it was a great event for all.
Tara from We Connect Coffee Shop & Pantry in Risca commented, “The beach day was fabulous and the amount of people enjoying the park was wonderful to see. We ended up staying open 2 hours past our usual closing time due to the number of people coming through the door and had our biggest sales on that day since we opened! It has meant a lot to us as a non-profit organisation and enabled a lot of people who haven’t been in the shop to come along. I felt it put us on the map a little.”
