This year's IF Festival was the most successful so far - and that's official.
Visitor numbers were up, more people purchased tickets, more events sold-out and the event slogan of'10 amazing days' was spot on.
In 2012, 18,000 people purchased tickets for events, but in 2014, that figure was up to 25,000.
Sell-outs included
Ade Edmundson & The Bad Shepherds,
The Puppini Sisters and comedian
Josh Widdecombe - all held in the beautiful
Spiegeltent, which was resident at Willen Park for the duration of the festival.
But there were lots and lots of free events to dig into as well - from
The lock shift songs inviting people to hop into bed in the centre:mk, and
Lucie Lom's wonderful
Dreamers (above), who proved a certified IF hit on their journey from Station Square to Campbell Park.
Another colourful, mind-altering treat that wowed all-ages was the
Architects of Air's Pentalum (below), which held court in
Middleton Hall at
thecentre:mk
And Total MK was knocked out by the wonderful performance of
Faust courtesy of
Southpaw Company, who gave fantastic deliveries in the shadow of
Xscape last weekend.
From the obscure to the traditional, and the funny to the amazing, IF certainly got the city talking, and enjoying the arts.
Dr Ann Limb, chair of
IF: Milton Keynes International Festival said: "The impact of the festival was much more widely felt in 2014. Placing a national and international spotlight on Milton Keynes, the festival has engaged with more residents and tourists that ever before which is great news for businesses, our local economy and Milton Keynes as a destination.
"People have enjoyed a much busier programme of free events and encountered a range of installations as they have gone about their daily lives - all created to encourage us to see a different side to Milton Keynes."
Monica Ferguson is
festival director and
chief executive of The Stables: "The festival presented a bigger and more diverse programme of large-scale events and intimate experiences than before, to encourage people to explore, enjoy and debate," she said.
"Projects such as the
Lucie Lom figures generated a real buzz around the city as people sought to find an explanation for the surprise appearance of these enigmatic characters.
"
'Under The Vaulted Sky' - created especially for Milton Keynes' beautiful
Cathedral of Trees and featuring a cast of 100 local people - had a profound and moving effect on people whilst the many free events provided great family days out."
The next IF: Milton Keynes International Festival will happen in 2016, and will be overseen by a new creative director.
Maria Bota will take over from
Bill Gee, who has been with the festival since the beginning, in 2010. Let the countdown begin!
But there were lots and lots of free events to dig into as well - from The lock shift songs inviting people to hop into bed in the centre:mk, and Lucie Lom's wonderful Dreamers (above), who proved a certified IF hit on their journey from Station Square to Campbell Park.
Another colourful, mind-altering treat that wowed all-ages was the Architects of Air's Pentalum (below), which held court in Middleton Hall at thecentre:mk
And Total MK was knocked out by the wonderful performance of Faust courtesy of Southpaw Company, who gave fantastic deliveries in the shadow of Xscape last weekend.
From the obscure to the traditional, and the funny to the amazing, IF certainly got the city talking, and enjoying the arts.
Dr Ann Limb, chair of IF: Milton Keynes International Festival said: "The impact of the festival was much more widely felt in 2014. Placing a national and international spotlight on Milton Keynes, the festival has engaged with more residents and tourists that ever before which is great news for businesses, our local economy and Milton Keynes as a destination.
"People have enjoyed a much busier programme of free events and encountered a range of installations as they have gone about their daily lives - all created to encourage us to see a different side to Milton Keynes."
Monica Ferguson is festival director and chief executive of The Stables: "The festival presented a bigger and more diverse programme of large-scale events and intimate experiences than before, to encourage people to explore, enjoy and debate," she said.
"Projects such as the Lucie Lom figures generated a real buzz around the city as people sought to find an explanation for the surprise appearance of these enigmatic characters.
"'Under The Vaulted Sky' - created especially for Milton Keynes' beautiful Cathedral of Trees and featuring a cast of 100 local people - had a profound and moving effect on people whilst the many free events provided great family days out."
The next IF: Milton Keynes International Festival will happen in 2016, and will be overseen by a new creative director.
Maria Bota will take over from Bill Gee, who has been with the festival since the beginning, in 2010. Let the countdown begin!
