Austin Bogues

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It's not quite South by Southwest, but comparisons to the annual event held in Austin, Texas are already being made about the third annual Asbury Park Music and Film Festival.

The festival, in its third year, sponsored by the Asbury Park Press and RWJ Barnabas Health drew big crowds to the city before the start of the traditional summer tourist season on Memorial Day weekend.

The festival hosted panels, film screenings and musical performances, which can be seen in the videos featured with this story, including the two surprise appearances by none other than the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, at the Paramount Theatre.

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The festival raises funds for music education for Asbury Park children through the programs of the Asbury Park Music Foundation. The numbers aren't in yet, but last year $125,000 was raised for music programs at several schools in the revitalized Shore town.

Though the weather was chilly and saw a bit of rain, the activity level resembled a peak-season weekend.

City Councilwoman Eileen Chapman said at least 15,000 people attended the weekend's events.

"It looked like a big summer weekend in Asbury Park, it looked like a July or August weekend with the city packed, every business every restaurant, every bar, every pub was packed all weekend long," said Asbury Park Press President Tom Donovan, who was a co-director of the fest.

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"I think (visitors) learned about the musical heritage and history of Asbury Park. They learned that it’s a fun city to visit and that there’s a lot of wonderful people around town."

While the final numbers aren't in, festival organizers and city officials are declaring it a success.

"What a great way to kick off an early opening to what's going to be a great summer," said Asbury Park Mayor John Moor. Moor attended the April 21 concert at the Paramount Theatre where Springsteen joined Stevie Van Zandt and Southside Johnny onstage. "How many towns can say they have Bruce Springsteen two nights in a row?" he said.

"I can safely say it was the busiest weekend in Asbury Park thus far in 2017," said Asbury Park Transportation Manager Mike Manzella, who oversees parking in the city. Manzella said more than 15,000 parking transactions were made, which is about 60 percent higher than the average weekend parking activity for 2017 so far in Asbury Park.

Alexis Chernoff, a spokeswoman for iStar, said The Asbury Hotel saw an increase in food and beverage revenues during the weekend, with the increased foot traffic in the city.

"This shows that Asbury Park is a year-round destination," said Sylvia Sylvia-Cioffi, executive director of the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce. "When people are still wearing their coats, they’re still thinking about coming to Asbury Park."

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Donovan said that plans to expand are in store for next year's festival, but said he would not divulge details for now.

"We’ve already had some preliminary discussions amongst the board members," Donovan said. "We will quickly debrief from this one and start for next year."

Austin Bogues 732-643-4009; abogues@gannettnj.com For more news on the Asbury Park Music and Film Festival, visit app.com and search for "Asbury Park music"

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