THOUSANDS waved goodbye as the curtain closed on the charming Festival No. 6 – but all good things must come to an end, right?

Since starting out in 2012 with around 6,500 plucky revellers, the festival has doubled in size and attracted some of the finest local talent and festival names around.

Manic Street Preachers, Mark Ronson, Bastille and The Flaming Lips have all come and gone at the quirky Welsh village of Portmeirion.

But a constant throughout has been male vocal choir Côr Meibion y Brythoniaid.

The crowd-pleasing ‘house band’ have captured the hearts of the No. 6 faithful, and they didn’t disappoint as they signed off on Friday with a rousing rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Indeed, away from the main stages is where you find the weird and the wonderful – from the wacky poetic musings of Luke Wright on the village pizza, to a game of human chess inspired by The Prisoner, the TV show of which the festival gained its name.

Alternative entertainment perfectly mirrors the wonderfully bizarre and elaborate Mediterranean-style village designed by maverick architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, which is perhaps why Portmeirion and Festival No. 6 are the perfect marriage.

But divorce proceedings are underway, sadly.

Organisers have said the festival will “take a break” after this year, with the picturesque village proving a “complex site” to manage.

Rumour has it Gwynedd Council will negotiate for its return in 2020, and it will be a welcome deal if secured.

A highlight for me – and my favourite setting, in fact – is the Village Green.

The area is lined with plenty of stations for food, from freshly made pizza to lick-lippingly good scotch eggs and fries.

And while it only has one stage for musicians, the Y Bandstand, it showcases an intimate yet varied schedule that is worth sticking around for.

Indie-rockers Campfire Social and the guitar-heavy Himalayas were well worth a watch, but Norwegian trio I See Rivers were a standout.

Their set time was only 30 minutes but their harmonic vocals and infectious rhythm deserved a longer slot. They’re one to keep an eye on.

Headliners for this year included Friendly Fires on the Friday, who pumped real energy into their performance with a sparkling set that forced even the most timid of dancers on their feet – myself included.

Post-punk rockers The The filled the main Saturday slot marking a triumphant return after 17 years, injecting panache into the proceedings.

Jessie Ware warmed crowds up nicely before, as did The Horrors over in the Grand Pavillion – although their set was marred by unfortunate “technical difficulties”.

Noughties favourites Franz Ferdinand, in full Prisoner outfits nonetheless, ensured No. 6 bowed out with a bang, bang (all for you, Portmeirion).

And while the festival circuit has just lost one of its most revered sons, we hope it will be back. Until then, ‘be seeing you’.