A prominent publican from the town offered to provide a bar at the evening concert with the proceeds going to charity but the offer was binned by councillors who voted for a complete alcohol ban at the event.
And after news of the ban was made public Buskfest fans voted with their feet and stayed away from Saturday's main event in protest, it has been claimed.
A disappointed Banbridge woman, who did not want to be named, was among the vastly reduced crowd. "The music was great, but the audience was small, she said."
"I think many people didn't turn up in protest at the council's refusal to provide a bar at the event.
"My view is that people were annoyed that the local authority took it upon themselves to preach to people about not drinking. It is very patronising for them to think adults are not capable of making that decision themselves."
The woman said she also witnessed groups of older teenagers - aged 16 and over - being refused entry to the concert by stewards.
"I saw several groups of young people being turned away after being told they needed to be accompanied by an adult," she said.
"This was absolutely ridiculous, considering their age - it wasn't as if unaccompanied four-year-olds were on the loose and trying to gain entry to something unsuitable for their age group.
"The young people I spoke to were absolutely gob-smacked. Some even asked me if I could accompany them so they could go in and enjoy the great music being provided by a brilliant and talented band. It was such a shame that a good day ended in such a pathetic way."
Councillor Dessie Ward said the numbers attending the evening concert at the leisure centre fell drastically short of the 4,000 target predicted by the council. It's understood around 500 attended the gig
"I hope now that councillors who voted to remove bar facilities at this year's concert have learned their lesson, given the poor turn-out," said Mr Ward. "As I predicted when councillors took this decision, the numbers were noticeably down on previous years. The figure I was given from the council was fewer than 900 people attended - despite the fact there were stewards and police officers in place to accommodate at least 4,000."
However, despite the complaints, others reported the busking part of the day held earlier in the town centre was a real success. Banbridge Traders Association spokesperson, Joe Quail, said the event earlier in the day had added "a real buzz" to the town and had been enjoyed by business owners, shoppers, visitors and townspeople alike.
A spokesperson for Banbridge council confirmed numbers were lower than expected and she put the figure attending in the region of 500. She also said there was no ban on teenagers attending without adult supervision.
"There were quite a few teenagers at the concert, but I am not aware of any being turned away due to their age," she said. "As for the offer of a bar, it wouldn't have mattered who offered, as the council voted to ban alcohol in the interests of consistency as it is not pemitted to drink alcohol at this site any other day of the year."