More than 15,000 people helped make the Kiama Winter Street Festival an absolute blast.

Destination Kiama tourism and events manager Sally Bursell said the town enjoyed perfect conditions for the annual festival last Saturday with smiling faces everywhere you looked.

“This festival really shone Kiama in a great light,” she said.

“From the silent disco for the teens to fire shows for all to watch, it's safe to say everyone had a great time.

“The event was a part of the Open Streets funding, which is the Transport for NSW funding that gets the money to run the event through. With this being the fifth year for the Kiama Winter Festival, it’s pleasing to say that there are two more years to go.”

Hopefully many more after that.

Rock climbing in Hindmarsh Park. Photo: The Bugle

The most popular activities were the silent disco, rock climbing, the live art and sculpture trails and the alleyway - which is a really big hit for the kids with fake snow, particularly when it gets dark.

There were also live shows for the music lovers and to top it all off, two fire shows drew plenty of gasps from the festival crowd.

“What's a winter festival without a bit of fire?” Bursell said.

The festival incorporated The Chill Out in Kiama this Winter campaign which is aiming to attract visitors to the area during the off-peak tourist season.

“The Chill Out in Kiama this Winter campaign is going fantastically well. There have been a whole bunch of partners jumping on board with that one so that's always nice when we have collaboration, we can amplify our voice and work together to achieve the goals,” Bursell added.

Next year she wants to make the Festival bigger and better.

More toilets will be at the top of the agenda to reduce the queues as well as more food trucks, which proved a hit with the festivalgoers, although Destination Kiama kept them to a minimum as a way of supporting local businesses.

While this year’s Festival was aimed towards kids, Bursell said more entertainment would be geared towards the adults.

She noticed that the kids cleared out by 7pm so there is a window later in the evening for the adults to have some fun of their own.

Artists at work. Photo: The Bugle

Bursell paid tribute to Kiama Mayor Cameron McDonald for his work behind the scenes in making the Festival a success.

“It’s such a joy to see our community out and about, even in the middle of winter, gathering together, supporting local businesses, and enjoying everything this festival has to offer”. Cr McDonald said.

“Hindsmarsh Park, with its beautiful new upgrade, provided the perfect backdrop for this celebration.

Street performers on the move on Terralong Street. Photo: Destination Kiama

“It's a space that's been thoughtfully renewed for a moment just like this where families, friends and visitors can come together in the heart of our town.

“A huge thank you to all the local businesses who jumped on board by staying open that little bit later, offering something special on their menus, or even trying something completely new, like hosting pop-up galleries or cinema nights.

“The creativity and community spirit of our local businesses is a large contributor to what makes our town so special.

Terralong Street during the Festival. Photo: Destination Kiama

“And a big thank you to our Destination Kiama team and Council staff who helped pull the event together so successfully.”

Destination Kiama chair Matt Brown described the Festival as a “huge success”.

“It was so great to see so many locals and visitors in their thousands attending our main street winter festival,” he said.

“I spoke to a number of businesses on the day. They said it was a real boost for them. One local restaurant had closed their books for bookings by 10.30 in the morning because there was so much demand.

“We had some really interesting displays, including igloos, saunas and street performers. We also had a lot of interest in the park at Hindmarsh Park, so much so that we will be moving those sculptures around the area, including up around Blowhole Point in the near future - Kiama will have its own sculpture walk”