I agree with John Clinton's disappointment at the rather glum show Brighton and Hove put on to celebrate European Car-Free day (Letters, September 29).

It was an opportunity for us to show our famous festival spirit.

When I heard Zap Productions was involved, I had felt we were in for a kicking party.

Zap's previous efforts, organising community events for Brighton and Hove City Council, have always been massive fun - the Millennium celebrations, for example.

As Town Crier, I had networked the event for a couple of weeks beforehand among the families in Brighton and Hove.

I was embarrassed at the complete lack of festivity engendered.

We are a renowned festival city and the best we could come up with was a very small samba parade, slightly wacky and very intermittent street theatre and an inappropriate venue for one of our most popular bands, The Brighton Agitators.

Even I did not find out where they were on until the last minute.

John Clinton's input and organisational skills saved the day, as did the colourful stalls of the organic vegetable sellers.

Local buskers provided the light relief but they are working every weekend anyway, regardless of any council-run schemes.

It was such a good initiative and I was heartened to see the council responding to the wishes of the people, but...

Reclaim The Streets worked for just this kind of victory more than a decade ago. How I wish they had worked alongside the council. It would have been a great deal more fun.

Are we holding European Car-Free Day next year? Is it to be an annual event? If so, let's have more participation from the festive spirits of Brighton and Hove.

-M A Pracy, Town Crier, St George's Road, Brighton