Coventry’s Creative Quarter is celebrating a huge rise in visitor numbers as it welcomed more than 365,000 people through the gates in 2019.
Figures just released by FarGo Village have revealed that visitors increased from 335,986 in 2018 to 366,925 in 2019 – a rise of 30,939 people.
Last year saw a number of new events held at the venue including the FarGo Food Festival, art event Prints and Pints and plant-lovers’ paradise Urban Jungle, plus a host of regular favourites.
The most successful event of 2019 was the Winter Chocolate Festival which gave people the chance to indulge in sweet treats as well as sample food from Digbeth Dining Club which attracted 6,968 visitors – a significant increase from 3,903 the previous year.
Other popular events included Christmas Makers Markets selling unique festive gifts, the venue’s Pride weekend, FarGo Vegan Festival and the British Science Festival’s FarGo Village takeover which all drew in the crowds.
The year also marked FarGo Village’s fifth anniversary, and celebrations saw the re-launch of its live event space, The Box, which underwent a huge transformation to include a new bar, four changing rooms and a production office back stage, a full audio visual and lighting package and a first-floor office space with ‘floating’ shipping container meeting rooms.
Elyse Cadden, The Box Venue Manager, has attributed the boom in footfall to the unique, independent retailers based at the venue as well as its inclusive programme of events.
She said: “It is excellent to see a significant increase in our visitor numbers and it shows that FarGo Village is well-established as a place to visit in the city.
“In 2019 we focused more on the quality of events rather than the quantity, and worked hard to create an inclusive events programme that appealed to a wide range of people which has been reflected in our footfall figures.
“It was also very exciting to re-launch The Box, which puts us on the map as a state-of-the-art platform for Coventry performers.
“We are now looking ahead to another exciting year and we have a whole host of events planned throughout 2020 themed around everything from food and fashion to coffee and crafts.
“The Box will also play host to some excellent performances which are expected to increase footfall even further.”
Some of the upcoming events already scheduled for 2020 include FarGo Dining Club on February 8 and 9 which will see the team behind Digbeth Dining Club bring delicious street food to the venue, Teach Rex who will be hosting their T-Rex show for children of all ages on February 23, the Independent Gin Festival which will feature independent gin distilleries showcasing their tipples on March 20 and 21 and the Spring Makers Market featuring the best makers and designers on March 28 and 29.
Caption: FarGo Village drew in the crowds as part of Coventry’s MotoFest event.