Mintfest boosted town by £1.5m

THE Mintfest International Street Arts Festival in Cumbria boosted spending in Kendal by £1.5m.

The impact of the event in Augusrt on the Cumbrian town was revealed by a Manchester University study.

Mintfest,  organised by Kendal Arts International is part of Lakes Alive, a four-year programme of events being held in Cumbria to celebrate the Olympics coming to Britain. 

Thousands of people flocked to Kendal to see some of the best artists, circus performers, comedians, acrobats, dancers and musicians from across the UK and abroad.

The research showed that over 40% of the people at Mintfest were visitors to the local area.  Three out of four of these visitors also said they were in Kendal specifically to see the event.

Julie Tait, the director of KAI, says: “This was only the third year that Mintfest has taken place in Kendal but it is already one of Britain’s biggest and best street arts festivals.”

Cliff Dixon, from CNJ Media Marketing Agency which works for the Westmorland & Elephant Yard Shopping Centre, said: “From a commercial viewpoint the footfall in the shopping centres in Kendal was substantially up, which taking into account there was no recession last year is fantastic.”