Tankfest pulls in the crowds

THOUSANDS of visitors flocked to the Tank Museum at Bovington for its annual Tankfest event.

Tankfest attracted 24,000 visitors over three days, some coming from as far away as Japan and Australia.

Visitor experience manager Rosanna Dean said: “The Tank Museum is constantly innovating the Tankfest programme to give visitors a fresh experience every year.

“This year we introduced Tank TV so tank fans could watch the arena action on big screens, a viewing area dedicated to photography enthusiasts and all three days featured a jam-packed programme of exciting moving armour.”

Tankfest showcased a line-up of historic and modern running tanks from the museum’s collection, guest armour and the British Army in a display specially created by curator David Willey to celebrate The Tank Museum’s 100th birthday. Friday visitors were also able to enjoy a visit from the RAF Red Arrows, who thrilled the crowds with a diamond formation flypast.

Sadly, one of this year’s special Tankfest guests, the Nashorn, was unable to make it to Bovington.

Due to circumstances beyond the control of either the Friends of the Nashorn or The Tank Museum, the vehicle was prevented from crossing the English Channel, being stopped at Dunkirk.

Visitors to Tankfest, presented by the World of Tanks, could explore The Tank Museum collection itself, including the new Tanks for the Memories exhibition, which presents the tank as a cultural icon through the mediums of TV, media, models, games and film.

They could also enjoy the World of Tanks gaming zone, expert lectures as well as the living history encampments and traders’ village.