Northwich has been in the national spotlight this month thanks to The Charlatans, with the town benefiting from an upsurge in visitors both on the streets and online.
North By Northwich, which saw the band play a series of gigs alongside numerous celebrations across the town, drove a footfall increase of more than 6% when compared to the previous week and significantly boosted the town’s evening economy too.
Concert nights saw footfall double as people not only came into Northwich to watch the gigs, but also visited the town’s bars, pubs and restaurants to enjoy live music, food and drink.
LISTEN: The Charlatans – So Showbiz with Northwich BID
The Northwich Business Improvement District (BID) also recorded significant spikes on their social media platforms over the ten day event, most notably on the Visit Northwich Facebook page.
They reported that their posts reached more than 30,000 people whilst over 11,000 Facebook users engaged with content throughout the course of the festival.
Over 15,000 people viewed videos from The Charlatans and various bands playing at venues such as The Salty Dog, The Salthouse NW, The Witton Chimes and Northwich Plaza as the spotlight shone on Northwich.
The town even featured on television news reports too as film crews rolled into Northwich to speak to the band, businesses and fans.
Northwich BID Manager Jane Hough hailed North By Northwich a huge success and believes the positivity surrounding the event will leave a lasting legacy.
“The vibe in Northwich throughout the whole festival was electric,” she commented, “and it was great to see so many visitors coming to the town, experiencing everything Northwich has to offer and making memories they won’t forget.
“As well as interacting with the public each and every day, the band really did everything they could to include the town’s traders, as was shown by events and initiatives at The Seafarer, The Salty Dog, Barons Quay, The ODEON, The Salthouse NW, The Gladstone Club, The Witton Chimes and Northwich Library.
“It’s also been brilliant to see such positive figures in regards to footfall and through our social media channels where interaction was at some of the highest levels we’ve seen this year.
“Hopefully the people who came into Northwich and also saw the photos and videos are inspired to return or visit the town in the near future.”
Jane added: “North By Northwich, the recent announcement about Barons Quay and the events coming up in 2018, such as the Northwich Festival of Arts, The Northwich River Festival and Northwich In Bloom, are really helping to put Northwich on the map and making it stand out as a destination with a difference.”
The feeling that the event will leave a lasting legacy has been borne out on social media with many positive comments following the event.
One Twitter user said: “I loved your humble little town. I wasn’t kidding when I said we would be back. There is so much to discover there. Locals were so kind and helpful.”
Another said: “Visited Northwich twice last week because of The Charlatans. Have to say – lovely little town and great chippy, some nice little pubs, hope to be back some day.”
To keep up-to-date with the latest news from around the town, head to the Visit Northwich Facebook page.
