Alpine observer and myrtleford times
Community celebrated local offerings at Bright Twilight Tastings

HUNDREDS of locals and visitors attended Bright's Twilight Tastings event last Thursday, October 17, to sample the district's delicious offerings and have a fun night out with the whole family.

Not the swarms of flying ants, nor the smattering of occasional rain could keep the crowds away as they celebrated their local businesses' prosperity.

From the clocktower to the south end of Ireland Street, the main thoroughfare was closed to allow for 18 vendor stalls, seating and activities for the crowds to enjoy.

"It was awesome, the layout was even better than we were expecting," said Amanda Hore, who helped organise the event as a new iteration for the previous Bright Spring Festival.

"The street looked amazing with the hay bales and the festoon lighting, it added so much to the event.

"The night exceeded all the expectations we had and it was very heartwarming to see all the locals come out...the vibe within the community is really positive.

"The food vendors all but sold out and the drink vendors all had a great night.

"Thank you to everyone that came out to our inaugural Bright Twilight Tasting event last night: we are humbled by the support from the community.

"A shout out to all those that helped us put this event together.

"We are definitely looking forward to putting this on again next year."

Attendees bought commemorative, stemless wine glasses and visited their selection of beverage stalls.

All varieties of food were available from the participating stalls; traditional festival fare such as fairy floss and barbeque staples, but also a number of restaurants along Ireland Street remained open to accommodate the guests.

SES volunteers installed a lighting apparatus and parked one of their trucks to display the variety of useful equipment needed during an emergency.

Live music was enjoyed throughout the night, with band 'Benny and the Big Wheels' and musical act Adam Lindsay situated in front of the clocktower.

"The festival looks like a lot of fun and it's very full of people already," Caroline Jones said.

"It's great to just have a wander and taste the local products."

"It took me an hour to walk down the street as it felt like everyone I knew was there," Laura Rigby said.

"What a wonderful atmosphere."

"It was great to see so many locals out enjoying a lovely evening," Andrew Friend said.

"Well done to Amanda and the committee for all [their] hard work."

Children attending the event were well provided for with magician Dane Certificate performing for a rapt audience, a silent disco with headphones, giant-scale games of connect-four, chalk-drawing on the footpaths and getting tours of the SES vehicles.

Ms Hore took to Facebook to send a thank you to all attendees, vendors, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, donors and suppliers for making the evening such a success.