A special celebration organised by CH1ChesterBID saw city visitors treated to live music, carnival games, free samples and craft workshops over the weekend.
The all-day street party on Chester’s historic Watergate Street saw thousands of people enjoy a varied mix of entertainment from local businesses on Saturday 18th August.
More than 40 businesses on the street came together for the first ever Watergate Street Festival.
The event included live music throughout the day from The Terry Burgin Blues Band, as well as free carnival games and face painting stations.
Watergate Street traders also took the chance to create pop-up stalls outside their stores, with businesses including Bar Lounge offering free food samples and drinks, whilst others provided deck chairs, toys and games.
Volunteers from Chester Zoo also joined in the celebration – with free craft workshops for children to build their own bug hotels and games linking in with CH1ChesterBID’s citywide ‘Bumblebees and Butterflies’ nature trail, which is running throughout the summer holidays until 2nd September.
Emily Ghazarian, events manager at CH1ChesterBID, said: “It was wonderful to see so many people on Watergate Street over the weekend having fun and supporting their local businesses.
“There was a street party atmosphere all day with a real sense of community spirit, which is exactly what we hoped to create.
“People of all generations came along and the feedback from our local businesses has been great too, so we’re delighted with how everything went.”
A special treasure trail also encouraged children and their families to explore some of the stores along Watergate Row, helping to spread visitors between traders on both levels of the street.
For more information about CH1ChesterBID the full programme of events taking place as part of the Summer in the City, visit www.experiencechester.co.uk or follow @CH1Chester on Twitter.
