Ashburton's Glow in the Park 2024 broke all previous records, attracting more than 40,000 people over the weekend.
Saturday night was the busiest with about 16,000 visitors, while Friday attracted about 13,000 and Sunday about 11,000.
This compares to about 17,000 in total last year, when it was held at the Tinwald Domain on two nights but one night was cancelled due to rain.
The display may be extended next year.
Ashburton District Council group manager compliance and development Jane Donaldson said the new location, Ashburton Domain, worked well.
‘‘The huge turnout over the long weekend did lead to congestion along the display route at times,’’ Donaldson said.
‘‘While most people were patient and not too bothered, we’ll be looking at options for extending the display over a larger area, or having an option of short and long walking loops in the future.’’
Comments so far from attendees were generally positive.
The district council is encouraging people to give their feedback on the event at ashburtondc.govt.nz/glow.
The council will review the event, now in its third consecutive year, before deciding whether it would return next year.
Glow in the Park 2024 cost about $120,000, and was paid for by sponsors and $23,000 from the district council’s events budget.
