About 20,000 people attended the inaugural four-day Singapore Coffee Festival which featured more than 100 cafes, speciality brewers, coffee roasters, restaurants and fashion retailers across two floors of the F1 Pit Building.

The turnout exceeded all expectations, says GM (consumer) Goh Wee Wang of Sphere Exhibits, the Singapore Press Holdings subsidiary that organised the event, presented by DBS Bank and hosted by The Straits Times.

On its first day the event was for trade only before being opened to the public. More than 10,000 people attended the festival on Saturday, prompting organisers to halt ticket sales at the door that afternoon and all of Sunday. About 5000 people attended the festival’s final day yesterday.

Coffee workshops, tasting sessions and discussions received strong attendance throughout the festival. Hands-on workshops by Common Man Coffee Roasters were fully booked within two days, and a workshop by Jacob Ibarra of Five Senses Coffee drew more than 4000 visitors.

Festival-goers also queued to enter the viewing gallery for the workshops, where they could watch baristas teaching fundamental skills, including latte art.

Other features were a forum on sustainable coffee growth, workshops pairing coffee and chocolate, and demonstrations by 2015 World Latte Art Champion Caleb Cha. Visitors could pay for their favourite design from Cha, with the money going to the DaySpring Residential Treatment Centre which helps abused teenage girls.