Hundreds of fans hoping to meet television reality star Mark Wright at Perth’s Christmas lights festival were left disappointed at the weekend.
The controversial choice to switch on the lights a number of councillors had questioned the wisdom of paying a hefty fee to The Only Way is Essex star to perform the lights switch-on proved his drawing power, with huge numbers hoping for a close encounter with the personality.
From the thousands of people who braved the cold to take in the sights and sounds of the festival, several hundred had queued to get his autograph at a city centre restaurant but only 30 photographs were handed out, with the lucky few recipients the only ones to enjoy a personal audience with Wright at his hotel.
Frustrated and triumphant fans took to social media sites to express their feelings.
“Mark Wright is too tired to come and see us, just sitting in his hotel,” posted one young fan, while another shared a photograph of herself with the star, saying, “sorry that I was one of the 30 people who met Mark in Perth today”.
Most had to be content with watching Wright take to the stage on Tay Street at the end of Saturday to perform the lights switch-on duty.Photo gallery: Perth Christmas Lights FestivalHe redeemed himself for fans by leading a carol sing-a-long and chatting with the crowd before switching on the lights from the Tay Street stage, which, in turn, set off a spectacular firework display from the other side of the river.
A massive crowd stretched up the High Street from the stage and many stayed on to see Eric Faulkner’s Bay City Rollers close the proceedings.
Provost Liz Grant said the public response had proved the organisers right.
“The whole day has been a tremendous success for Perth, with the city centre totally thronged with visitors having a great time,” she said. “The city looked absolutely fantastic and the entertainment was superb.
“The thousands of people that turned out to have fun has vindicated our decision to aim big and stage a huge Christmas Lights celebration this year.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in organising the event, especially the city centre management team and the events team, who have put in months of work to make sure today was a resounding success for Perth.
“Our aims were to give local businesses a festive boost, to attract more visitors to the city, and to raise even further Perth’s profile as a major events destination to make Perth the place where people want to be.
“I certainly think we achieved those aims.”