ONE of the most popular festivals in Wales was a huge success this year - despite having no customers in person.

Caerphilly’s Big Cheese Festival usually draws in between 60-80,000 visitors each year and as Covid-19 took the usual version of the festival away, organisers took to the internet to hold a Virtual Big Cheese for the first time - and 43,000 people tuned in.

The turnout for the online extravaganza exceeded expectations of the organisers. Viewers were able to see the popular Cheese Race online, with 33 teams taking part, including 21 children’s teams. This was a stand-out highlight of the virtual festival, with 15,331 turning in and 4,220 interactions on the posts.

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Viewers also enjoyed cooking demonstrations and musical performances and had the chance to win prizes from 18 members of the Caerphilly Tourism Association.

“Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions, our usual Big Cheese Festival could not take place this year," said Cllr Lisa Phipps, Caerphilly council's cabinet member for tourism.

"However, events officer Stacy Francis, along with her events and marketing colleagues decided to make the event digital and the response we received from visitors was phenomenal.

"I’d like to thank Caerphilly Tourism Association Members for their generosity in donating prizes for the online festival and for their continuous support and help in boosting public morale.”