Crowds flocked to an ever-popular international festival, which continues to go from strength to strength. Dani Webb reports on the weekend’s highlights in Stockton – including a magical carnival and parade.

THOUSANDS of people lined the streets of a North-East town to watch one of the most popular events of its annual festival.

The great outdoors was the theme for the community carnival, which is part of the Stockton International Riverside Festival.

More than 1,200 youngsters took to the streets with a variety of music and dance performances.

Dressed in an array of colourful costumes, which represented the town’s urban and natural environment, they paraded down Stockton’s High Street on Saturday.

Organiser Jan Doherty, of Stockton Borough Council, hailed the event a huge success.

“It has been an absolutely fantastic day,” she said. “All the preparation went to plan – everything paid off.

“The rain stayed away, which is something that hasn’t happened for the past couple of years.

“We had 63 community groups taking part. This was our biggest carnival yet and it was a wonderful celebration.

“The I Spy theme showed the view of Stockton through the community’s eyes. It allowed the youngsters to give their views on what it is like living here.”

She said: “The carnival has been a huge success over the years, everyone loves taking part. We will start planning the next one soon and, hopefully, make it even better.”

The parade ended in Trinity Green with groups showcasing their talents to an appreciative crowd.

The carnival was one of a number of attractions over the weekend. There was also street entertainment, outdoor theatre, circus shows and dance, and the Fringe Festival included headline acts Calvin Harris, The Human League and the Lightning Seeds.

Up to 10,000 people were expected to watch as a fireworks display brought the curtain down at the end of the five-day festival last night.

Mrs Doherty added: “This year’s festival is the biggest we have done and it has been a fantastic few days. There has been a real buzz about the town – the atmosphere has been great.”