BOURNEMOUTH’S popular Shake and Stir Festival was held online at the weekend for the first time and was a huge success.

The coronavirus restrictions meant the event had to be a digital one this year.

But incredibly it had more than 31,000 visitors across the Shake and Stir website, Facebook and You Tube, not far short of the 34,000 who turned up in person in 2018.

The groundbreaking ‘At Home’ festival showcased a whole range of bands, artists, businesses, competitions and activities to produce entertainment and fun across the two days - when it had been scheduled for real before the pandemic.

Mandy Polkey of Stir Events who hosted the weekend with DJ Dave Norrell said it had been “phenomenal.”

She added: “The feedback we have had was amazing and I am absolutely overjoyed at our audience figures.

“It just shows what you can achieve when you think differently and make something out of adversity.

“We had a fantastic group of people to put this together. Without them it wouldn’t have happened. It was an extraordinary team effort.”

The weekend also included the final of the Greatest Bartender Competition and an online performance by Mungo Jerry of In The Summertime, to mark the song’s 50th anniversary.

Mandy said she was delighted to be able feature many local businesses throughout the weekend at a time when many are suffering because of the prolonged lockdown.

The digital festival was managed in partnership with Live + Studios, based at Centre VR in Bournemouth and it was their first project of this kind, designed to be an online interpretation of the real thing in Fisherman’s Walk, Southbourne.

The music line up was a mixture of live and recorded bands and artists, some coming into the studio to play live and some recording their contributions during lockdown.

Mandy said: “There were two key objectives. To stimulate and engage people during lockdown with a range of things to do at home.

“And also to give as much support and exposure to businesses that had suffered due to lockdown.

“I am delighted to say I feel we achieved both as well as being able to put on real feel good event in very difficult and challenging times for everyone.”