Serenata, an event billed as Britain's first ever classical music festival, came to an end yesterday. As festival goers left the idyllic hill-top location with its views across the Dorset coastline, the general feeling was that the event had been a success, but that many things could have been done better.

The headline acts went down well, with Russell Watson the crowd's favourite and Katherine Jenkins coming a close second. Not that it was a fair contest, as Russell Watson's set was crowned with a spectacular fireworks display that may have given him the edge.

The main criticism of the event has been the lack of daytime activities, with many of the workshops and hands-on events cancelled at short notice. Festival-goers had a wide selection of entertainment in the evenings, but many felt at a loose end in the daylight hours.

Attendance was lower than hoped with many blaming the lack of advertising. The advertising also seems to have lacked focus, with neither the local not the national potential audience targeted.

The relationship between classical and crossover acts has also come in for criticism. One festival-goer told CMUK that neither the mainstream classical nor the crossover audience was well catered for, and that had the genres been given separate stages, for example, or separate days during the event, the audience would have had a better idea of what to expect.

On a more positive note, many of those attending said that they had enjoyed the entertainments and the activities, with many already planning to return next year. The event has obviously found a niche and a enthusiastic (if small) audience. But if it is to have a long term future, it is going to need better artistic focus, better advertising and, most importantly of all, a lot more music.