Culture Fest 2008, the uptown street festival wound-down to the smooth sounds of international Jazz musician Joey Sommerville last night.

For the third year in a row, Court Street shut down to traffic to make way for the Grass Roots Uptown stage, a multitude of vendors, a Kids Zone and Gombey troops every Thursday night.

Culture Fest, which is run by the Uptown Market Association and sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation and Island Construction, began on June 5 this year and has been very successful according to Elmore Warren, the chairman of the Uptown Market Association.

"We feel good about it. They (the public attending) have been consistent with the numbers being around: 200, 250, 270 each week," he said.

"Spiking to 300 and 500 especially spiking when we have performers like this (Joey Sommerville). We are trying to do more of this; getting more quality musicians coming in to help Bermudians take up their performance level.

"Vendors have become more consistent. If you don't have the numbers, the vendors don't come. This year people have been more than happy to come out and partake."

And Mr. Warren said what has helped is the successful Uptown Marshalls programme, which is two years old and provides security in the area and submits reports on the event to the organisers afterwards.

The marshalls also helped, Mr. Warren said, in getting the word out about the event travelling to Front Street and other areas of Hamilton to let tourists, hotels and other know about Culture Fest.

He added: "We have to get over the phobias. Everyone's got a harbour night. We haven't got a harbour night but Culture Fest is about coming to the street and relaxing. It's the way Bermuda used to be.

"I think we provide a unique atmosphere and it has caught on. People say 'yours is different'."

Each week featured a Gombey Troupe opening the festival, vendors selling their arts and crafts and assortments of local food options, while special events included the Movie Night Series and the Gospel Fest.

Taking the stage throughout the season was also a multitude of Bermudian artists including The Native Percent Band, Paradise, Pulse, DaCore, the Unit, Twanee Butterfield, Sia Spence, Taylor Rankin and Septimus.

However, in its three-year history, this is the first time an international star has performed for the free festival and Joey Sommerville and his band have returned after playing in June, to round-out Culture Fest 2008.

From Detroit originally, the international star who has performed with mega-rock group Phish and on the Cirque de Soleil's Grammy-nominated and Juno Award winning album Algeria, now lives in Atlanta.

Speaking to this paper yesterday morning Mr. Sommerville said he had enjoyed his time on the Island before and found the street festival format especially enriching.

"They called and they wanted me back. We all had fun the last time I came here. I get to go around and have fun with people," he said.

"Street festivals we are in a real up close and personal place. Otherwise you are up on stage away from it all. Really music is about fun. It really is an international language they recognise. There's that spirit and energy that happens from music."