two decades, chairman Peter Lloyd has revealed.

Speaking to Hamilton Rotarians at their weekly luncheon, Mr. Lloyd said the increase from the late 1970s was mainly due to the generosity of benefactors and sponsors in recent years.

Mr. Lloyd, a former deputy governor of Bermuda, noted that the festival's total budget had experienced an increase of 400 to 450 percent over the same time span.

And he explained the other ways in which the festival had grown over the years.

"The number of tickets sold is about 50 percent higher than in the late 1970s,'' he stated. And he noted that even though the price of the tickets at $25 had doubled over the last 20 years, it could still be favourably compared to similar events in New York or London or even to the price of local reggae and soca concerts.

The public was also receiving better value for money with a 30 percent increase in the number of performances in any one festival and the invitations of larger groups of performers to the Island, Mr. Lloyd added. He disclosed that one of the initial reasons for having the festival had been to attract visitors to the Island during the off-season but this had never really materialised.

However, he said, with the festival struggling to meet the high local demand for tickets this avenue was no longer being strongly pursued.

Mr. Lloyd also discussed his involvement in the annual event which has been running since the early 1970s.

"I have greatly enjoyed the experience for just over 11 to 12 years now despite the occasional anxious moment,'' he told his audience.

One such "anxious moment'' he referred to took place at this year's festival when Immigration officials initially refused a Romanian orchestra entry into Bermuda due to problems with their visas.

He told the Rotary Club members that the pattern of the festival had remained essentially unchanged for the last 24 years.