It was also fine enough for helicopters to fly in to the Brighton Domain yesterday to provide rides for a long queue of people.
Helicopters Otago had several aircraft there and Mia Perry-Ellison, 6, was one customer from Dunedin who described her ride as "good", after some early nerves.
For Emily Sharp, 6, of Dunedin, the bumper boats were fun.
Quite a different scene engaged the attention of another Dunedin 6-year-old, Solskjaer Richardson.
Solskjaer left the stall with his name and age in Morse code.
It just so happened the family had been discussing communication methods from earlier eras, his mother said.
Meanwhile, Mosgiel Scouts were raising money for a Venturer camp at the end of the year for members aged 14-18.
They also had buckets of water tipped on them if people hit the target with a ball.
The gala began in overcast conditions and this seemed to affect crowd numbers initially, organiser Colin Weatherall said.
There was free admission and about 185 stalls, but early conditions in the area might have cost the event up to 2000 people, Mr Weatherall said.
The event had gone smoothly and there was plenty of variety in the stalls, amusement rides and entertainment, he said.
An appeal at the gate raised money for the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club and sausage sizzles for community groups had gone well, he said.
Cost of living and health were the leading issues on the National board and, for Labour, "Protect Dunedin Hospital Rebuild" was well out in front.
The Labour stall "almost ran out of paper for it", Taieri MP Ingrid Leary said.
