Liverpool's Mathew Street Festival draws record numbers

Liverpool's Mathew Street Festival drew record breaking numbers to Liverpool City Centre yesterday.

The celebration of Liverpool music, which is Europe's biggest free music festival, attracted 150,000 revellers, a figure up 20,000 on last year.

And council bosses are expecting the same kind of turn out today for fun in the bank-holiday sun.

Local Beatles guru Phil Coppell has been a tour guide in the city for over 20 years.

He said the flocking crowds have brought with them a 'magical' party atmosphere.

He said: "The city is really is buzzing this weekend, more so than I can remember.

"Everywhere you go there seems to be people having a good time, on the streets, in the bars.

"I'm picking punters up from hotels at the start of my tours and you can't move in the lobbies, the atmosphere is magic."

The 60-year-old, who is currently leading the battle to save Ringo Starr's former home in Madryn Street from demolition, said it's not just the city centre which is benefiting from the Beatles-boom weekend.

He said: "I've been to Penny Lane and the atmosphere is brilliant there too.

"It's great to see so many people about and on the street, lapping up the atmosphere."

At the musical hub of the festival are six outdoor stages which host a mixture of talent new and old.

One of the venues pulling masses of the Mathew Street crowd is the new and original bands stage.

Designed to give Liverpool's untapped talent a chance to shine, the stage has been a hit over the weekend.

Andy Fitzpatrick, a performing arts student from Wirral, was one party-goer taking in some of Liverpool's emerging talent, he said new music makes the festival more attractive to younger people.

he said: "I wouldn't normally come down to see a load of Beatles tribute acts, that's not a music festival to me because there's no element of surprise.

"But with new local bands on, it mixes it up a bit.

"You might end up watching your new favourite band, who knows?

"This stage shows that the festival is catering for people of all ages now, everyone kind find something they like"

New talent may be getting a leg-up, but the festival's line-up of tribute acts was as strong as ever this year.

Punter were treated to sing-along sets Elvis Costello, Elton John and Kiss tributes as the party raged on in the rare sight of August sunshine.

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