The axe has been lifted after a strong showing this year.

Attendances were slightly down, but fund-raising activities ensured that income was up - which means that the show goes on.
After two loss-making years, new Festivities chairman Ian Farman warned that further losses in 2010 could spell the end.

But he says he's now confident that the 2011 festival will go ahead - though it could look rather different, with perhaps fewer events and a broader appeal.

"We have had a good festival", Mr Farman said. "The quality of the programme has been splendid throughout. The audiences were perhaps in total down a bit on last year. We don't know yet.

"But a number of events did very well. The talks were pretty much on target and some of them were a bit ahead, but the lunchtime concerts were not as well attended. I think it was probably that people were just busy and probably also because of the hot weather.

"The Chichester Cathedral Choir concert (in the Cathedral) was down, but that was probably due to the fact that we have got the Southern Cathedrals Festival here this year."

In the Cathedral, the Vespers, Benedetti, the Philharmonia, the Boston Youth and Lesley Garrett were all well attended: "Overall we were pretty pleased."

Crucial to the overall success, the big opening fireworks concert at Goodwood racecourse was the second best in audience numbers in recent years - beaten only by an exceptional turn-out last year.

"It didn't make as much money as last year, but it wasn't far short. But overall our income was up, thanks to a lot of hard work from around the place and thanks to our sponsors and donors and the prize draw we have got running, which have all made a significant difference. People have rallied round, and we are very confident that we will be able to run in 2011."

But before then, organisers will take a look at the programme: "We almost give people too much choice. In the days when people were flush they would often book for six, seven, eight, nine or ten events. These days people are much more careful.

"The programme is quite busy. If you give people masses and masses of choice, you spread your ducks across too wide a spectrum."
Mr Farman said the Festivities would also be looking at the breadth of events.

Occasionally the Festivities are accused of being too high-brow - a suggestion Mr Farman rejected, with a Cathedral programme which featured Rick Wakeman, the Black Dyke, the Dankworths and The Magnets, alongside the classical programme.

"But I think we do need perhaps to widen the programme a bit. We are really happy with the quality, but perhaps we need to tweak the programme a bit."