RiverFest and Tapestry drew thousands of people into Vicksburg in April.

About 7,500 people attended the 25th anniversary of RiverFest, said Katrina Shirley, RiverFest board president. About 10,000 had been anticipated for the annual downtown festival.

“Ticket sales were down a bit from last year but it was a busy weekend locally and statewide, and the weather deterred some people,” Shirley said.

Rain was in the forecast for RiverFest, but showers moved in after the crowd cleared out April 20. April 21 was cool and cloudy with a high around 65, but the weather apparently kept many people home, said event organizer Joel Angle.

“We had about 3,000 people Saturday night,” Angle said.

Despite the slack ticket sales, RiverFest turned a profit, Shirley said.

“RiverFest does not release official numbers, but it was a successful year,” she said.

For the first time in three years, the attendance for Tapestry failed to exceed the total from the previous year.

Carolyn Stephenson, owner of Annabelle on Speed Street and president of the Vicksburg Bed and Breakfast Association, which sponsors the program, said attendance was down 125 people this year, dropping from 1,300 in 2011 to 1,175.

The bed and breakfast association took over Tapestry in 2009. In its first year, attendance was 400 people. It was 700 in 2010

“I guess the only reason for the drop in attendance was the economy and the rise in gas prices,” she said. “We did more advertising than last year, and we had more venues — places to visit.”

She said bed and breakfast association members will meet soon and review this year’s event to determine what they can do better.

“It’s back to the drawing board,” she said. “Each year we go back and look at what we did and find a way to do it better.”