THE phrase ‘a good time was had by all’ both understates and overstates the quality of the experience provided by his year’s Jersey Live festival held in Trinity over the weekend.

It is an understatement because the event must be described as success on a massive scale. It is an overstatement on the slender grounds that ten people among the crowd of more than 8,000 were arrested, some were ejected for various sorts of inappropriate behaviour, and a few received medical treatment for conditions ranging from wasp stings to adverse reactions to drugs – some of them supposedly ‘legal highs’.

The arrests, ejections and medical problems are, of course, regrettable, but it must be remembered that they affected only a tiny proportion of what was overwhelmingly a good-natured gathering at which people from many walks of life enjoyed themselves immensely.

If the event’s organisers did a magnificent job of assembling a line-up of performers capable of attracting a mass audience, it is equally clear that police strategies were effective in keeping the lid on any potential trouble. The crowd, however, also deserves its share of credit for the generally excellent standard of behaviour that characterised the entire weekend.

The benevolent mood was no doubt enhanced by the weather – which was superb throughout Saturday and acceptable for most of Sunday. That mood, moreover, spilled over into benevolent actions. The Jersey Hospice Care tent, which was serving cream teas and providing fancy-dress costumes, did a roaring trade.

Meanwhile, although Jersey Live is a showcase for international talent, the organisers made sure that there was room for local performers too. The cream of the Island’s rock musicians appeared and more than held their own amid distinguished company.

Jersey Live might not be to all Islanders’ tastes, but it has more than earned its place in the annual calendar as a premier event. In addition, its reputation as one of the very best small rock festivals has spread far and wide, without doubt helping to put the Island on the map for large numbers of people who might otherwise be indifferent to what we have to offer.