Spencer-Hill festival draws record crowd and gives family a chance to meet Terence Hill

More than 20,000 fans traveled to Ilmenau for the Spencer-Hill Festival, setting a visitor record for the celebration of the two Italian actors' films.

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We are extremely satisfied. More than 20,000 fans traveled to Ilmenau.

The festival began on Thursday evening. Terence Hill could not attend in person, but a family from North Rhine-Westphalia won the main raffle prize: a trip to Italy to meet him, ask questions and take photographs. Festival spokesperson Claus Frömming said the trip would take place in the coming weeks at the organizers' expense. The family's 15-year-old daughter was described as its biggest fan and was overwhelmed by the news.

The precise arrangements will also depend on the condition of the now 87-year-old Hill, Frömming said. Hill speaks German, he added.

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The family will fly to Italy in the coming weeks at our expense, meet Hill there, ask him questions and take photos with him.

A special show commemorated Bud Spencer, who died 10 years ago. Frömming said every performance was full and that some male visitors wrote on social media that one scene had brought them to tears. Spencer, whose real name was Carlo Pedersoli, and Hill, born Mario Girotti, appeared together in several films and became famous for western parodies and adventure comedies. The festival has been held at different locations in Germany since 2001 and has gathered in Ilmenau several times. Its location for next year remains undecided.

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Every performance was packed, and some grown men among the visitors wrote on social media that they even shed tears during one scene.