Attendance at the 1975 edition of the Bavarian Summer Festival is running ahead of last year’s record pace.

Don Conover, public relations director for the festival, said yesterday’s crowd totaled 17,500, and for the first four days the attendance was 2,000 ahead of last year.

Conover said as of Monday 780 half barrels of beer have been consumed, which is about the same amount as of a year ago.