THOUSANDS of people turned up to enjoy a free folk festival at a recently refurbished museum earlier today, Monday, May 27.

And hundreds more were expected to attend a high-profile music evening event also being held at Preston Hall Museum at Eaglescliffe, Stockton.

The earlier event was hailed a major success with thousands of people crammed into the park in front of the museum for the museum’s 20th Folktastic festival.

John-Robert Bowes, the museum’s volunteer co-ordinator, said many others paid the entrance fee to enjoy other acts on the museum’s Victorian Street.

He said: “It’s always busy on a bank holiday, but it was really full today. It was a great turn-out, very, very busy. There was a cracking atmosphere.”

The later, evening music event, which cost £8, was the first held in the museum and was part of the Art Council’s national Music in Museums initiative to persuade more people to go to museums. The headline act was Bridie Jackson who will perform on the Pyramid Stage at this year’s Glastonbury.

“We had a late surge and sold a good few hundred tickets,” said Mr Bowes.

Preston Hall and Park Museum was refurbished at a cost of £7m last year.