THE grand success of the weekend’s many events in and around Southampton prove the point that there is a strong appetite for grand scale community occasions in the city region.

The Let’s Rock event on Southampton Common, attracting over 12,000 people, was a particular smash hit, with organisers vowing to return next year with perhaps a full weekend of performances.

Southampton’s Mela festival was another notable highlight in a weekend where the weather played ball and participants and spectators took to the land and water to celebrate a weekend of summer.

This paper has for some time asked the question of where our notable occasions now are? The demise of the popular Balloon and Flower Festival and the end of the Power in the Park pop events has been shadowed by the sailing away of many maritime celebrations.

The public purse is now thin and local authorities are loath to support events with scarce resources.

If the gap can now be filled by successful private festivals then all for the good. Let the summer good times (rock) and roll.