Thousands of people turned out for the annual St. Gorge's town onion dunking and New Year celebrations on Sunday evening which organisers say went "very well''.

Chris West, Chairman of the St. George's Chamber of Commerce and owner of the White Horse bar, said: "The night went very well. It was a very good show and everything was on time.'' Mr. West estimated there was in excess of five thousand people in the square and said there were no reports of any incidents to put a damper on the evening's festivities.

He said the bands were very popular with the crowds and said: "I must congratulate Spanish Town. They did an excellent job promoting and setting up for the event.'' Mr. West said he felt this year's party had gone better than last year's celebrations which received some criticism for running on "Bermuda time'' after the exact marking of the hour change and dropping of the onion was not done with the precision expected in other parts of the world.

He said the onion dropped right on time this year, and the fireworks went off without a hitch and were unaffected by the weather.

Mr. West also said the crowd seemed to enjoy the music more this year than for the 2000 celebrations, and added that a large number of boats which had a "raft up'' in the harbour added to the overall visual scene helping create a real party atmosphere.

Mr. West said: "It was a good St. George's night and I look forward to doing it again.'' In the town's first new-year celebration since receiving world heritage status, crowds were treated to music from Last Rites and Jahstice as well as singer Gita Blakeney.

Children enjoyed face painting and bouncy castles while their parents sampled fine food and drink from the town's restaurants, bars, and stalls in the town square.

The celebrations were organised by the town's division of the Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the Corporation of St. George's, the Tourism Department and local restaurants.