THE three-day 'Dunfermline Live' music festival has been hailed as a major success, estimated to have delivered a �300,000 economic boost to the area.

Around 4000 people enjoyed a packed programme of music in 20 venues, varying from the 1200-capacity Glen Pavilion to the 25-seat Green Room.

Music-lovers moved from bar to bar over the weekend of 7th-9th December, choosing from a bill of 50 acts, which included top-name attractions like Reverend and the Makers, Shed Seven, The Rezillos and James Walsh. pulling in visitors from far and wide.

The Dunfermline Press, as media sponsor, promoted the event through the newspaper, website and our popular Facebook page.

To gauge the economic impact of the event, market research was carried out and the organisers are delighted with the feedback.

The key findings of a Dunfermline Delivers report are: The total economic impact was �300,050.

There was an impact of �30 for every �1 of public money spent.

96.3 per cent of participants say they would come back next year.

The average daily spend per visitor was �66.96.

Chairman of events for Dunfermline Delivers Calum Miller said, "We are absolutely delighted the festival is making such an impact after only two years in existence.

"Going forward, if we can encourage the local authorities to back our progressive plans, we feel within five years we can have a festival to rival that of another city in Scotland.

"This is a fantastic start and I see the 'Dunfermline Live' concept as one that can grow to being one of the mainstays in the Scottish music scene over the next few years."

Throughout the Saturday of the event, there was a street team of five people conducting a survey in the city centre providing a valuable snapshot of how the festival was going down with the public.

The breakdown of age groups attending were: 18-24 years - 32.8 per cent; 25-34 years - 20.7 per cent; 33-44 years - 12.1 per cent; 45-54 years - 29.3 per cent; 55-64 years - 5.2 per cent.

On the question of 'How important was this event in your decision to visit Dunfermline today?' the responses included: the only reason - 30.2 per cent; the main reason - 30.2 per cent.

The researchers then asked, 'Did you use any of the following types of businesses in Dunfermline?' and the responses were: shops 44.2 per cent; accommodation 1.9 per cent; pubs/hotels 80.8 per cent; restaurants 36.5 per cent; cafes 15.4 per cent.

'Would you attend this event in the future?': yes - 96.3 per cent; no - 0 per cent; possible - 3.7 per cent.

Calum said, "This is a fantastic response and shows the public thoroughly enjoyed the event."

The average daily expenditure was: tickets �11.46, shops �6.25, food and drink �44.98, other activities �4.27, making an average daily spend �66.96, equating overall (with 4000 attending) to �267,840 and, with the overnight stays, a total of �300,050.75.

The report concluded, "The overall feeling throughout the surveys carried out show an overwhelming enthusiasm for the event and willingness for the event to be carried forward in the coming years with 96.3 per cent saying they would come back in the future and 94.4 per cent saying they will recommend the event to friends and family.

"Due to the nature of the public/private relationship of this festival, the gross economic impact works out to be �30 for every �1 of public money invested. This is a very appealing statistic.

"With a continued public/private approach, this festival can blossom over the coming years into a mainstay in the Dunfermline events calendar and also help to bring a national attraction to Dunfermline."