RALEIGH — The Hopscotch Music Festival filled the air of downtown Raleigh with the sweet sounds of music and cash registers ringing.

Despite not selling out tickets, event organizers are pleased with how this weekend’s festival did.

“In terms of fan experience and music, it’s by far the best we’ve ever done,” said festival co-director Grayson Currin.

The event, which is in its third year, featured 175 bands at 15 downtown venues. That’s a 50 percent increase over the music festival’s first year.

While exact numbers still need to be calculated, Currin estimates the festival sold between 7,000 and 8,000 tickets and/or wristbands. The wristbands entitled spectators to all shows during the three-day event, which ended Saturday.

Loren Gold, executive vice president at the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, projected the event earned downtown businesses an additional $1.2 million last year.

“It plays really well to the feeling and core of downtown, in that we really are a diverse populace coming together downtown for a really unique and different music festival,” Gold said.

Currin said he heard one area business sing the praises of the festival’s impact on its numbers.

“The manager told me on Friday and Saturday they did more than he would do in a typical week,” he said.

Currin plans to evaluate how to have even more successful festivals in future years.

Miller: 919-829-4520