Third Ramsey Sprintfest hailed a success by commissioner

Sprintfest has been held in Ramsey during the part three TT festivals

A music festival held in Ramsey during the TT has been hailed a success by a member of the town's local authority.

More than 3,000 people attended Sprintfest, which was run by the town's commissioners between 3 and 5 June.

Juan McGuinness said although some businesses raised concerns over a loss of 40 parking spaces during the event, it had been "incredibly successful".

He said he hoped the event would become part of the "cultural mindset" of the TT calendar in future.

The festival, which was first held in 2019, saw eight bands perform in Market Square in Ramsey over four nights.

Mr McGuniness said the "fantastic weather" had "allowed Sprintfest to shine", and as the event developed he hoped it could "grow to become an anchor point for the town" during the second weekend of the TT festival.

"You can come to watch the bikes during the day and stay for the atmosphere in the evening," he said.

Mr McGuinness said Ramsey Commissioners expected the final bill for the 2023 event, which was also subsidised by the Department of Enterprise, would be between £12,000 and £13,000.

The event saw eight bands play to crowds in Market Square in Ramsey

Live music from Manx performers including the The Ed Miller Band and Francesca May played from 19:00 until 23:00 BST each night.

Mr McGuinness acknowledged concerns raised by businesses about the loss of parking for cars, but said the local authority had provided mitigation by allowing bikes to park in the concert space during the day.

Mr Guinness told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that "small inconvenience" was a "fair sacrifice" as the loss was outweighed by the overall benefit to the town.

He said he hoped the businesses could see the "greater good to the town" and would be willing to put up with "a little bit of awkwardness for a couple of days".

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