The main streets of Gloucester were packed from 9am when the festival opened until 3pm when things eventually wound down.

Event organiser, Melissa Williams said the general consensus was that it was the best Chill Out ever.

“The overall vibe was really good,” she said.

This year’s theme, Bluegrass, Beer and Barbecue, was a hit, with the beard competition attracting around a dozen entrants.

Bluegrass bands, Gleny Rae Virus and her Playboys, Stillhouse Union and Gloucester band, The Grasscutters entertained the crowds all day from the public carpark where the barbecue was set up.

There were low and slow barbecue rigs set up, along with a couple of breweries and local wineries with tables and chairs for people to sit and enjoy the food, drink and music. 

“The idea was for it to be like a backyard barbecue atmosphere,” Melissa said.

New events, the bucking mechanical cow and the billy cart derby, were enjoyed by the crowds, with the cow working hard bucking for five hours straight.

The old favourites, the dog show, the car show, the historic Tin Hare railmotor and the woodchop competition continued with the tradition of being crowd-pleasers.

Melissa said that MidCoast Council, once again, did an amazing job from sun up to sun down, closing the roads, preparing the areas and cleaning up afterwards.

“There are many people to thank for the great day we had,” she said. 

“Overall the committee would like to thank everyone to helped make the 2017 Chill Out festival possible.”

Festival results to come in next week’s Advocate.