KENDAL celebrated their 54th anniversary of the town’s annual Torchlight Festival on Saturday.

Thousands lined the streets in the town centre in all weather conditions to celebrate the event dating back to 1970.

This year’s festival was themed around the four elements – fire, earth, air and water.

The event included a street party on Stricklandgate between 10am-4pm and an evening procession of colour, beginning at 7pm from Abbot Hall.

During the day there were live acts, a balloon modelling stall, bubble art workshops, circus workshops, face painting and a pop-up photobooth provided by Kendal Community Theatre.

(Image: Balloon modelling at Kendal Torchlight Festival. Credit: Alec Whitaker) Laura Taylor, owner of Not Just Bathbombs, from Heysham, Morecambe, said: “The turnout has been amazing.

(Image: Laura Taylor, owner of Not Just Bathbombs. Credit: Alec Whitaker)

“Events like this are massively important for the town - it brings all of the community together.”

Lana Grindley, owner of Love Art Workshops, from Kendal, added: “I’m here making mini fire lanterns for the evening parade. We’ve had 18 fire trees made by different communities across the town and we’ve gone through 100 lanterns so far today.

(Image: Lantern workshop at Kendal Torchlight Festival. Credit: Alec Whitaker)

“I grew up here and this event cements the culture of Kendal being a festival town.”

Over 600 members of the community came together in the evening to form the procession, reinstated post-Covid, along with dancers and musicians.

The sea of colour started from Highgate, then down Lowther Street, past the bus station, through Sandes Avenue before heading back through Kendal town centre and finishing at Abbot Hall at 9:30 pm.

Annette Ritson, from the organising team at Kendal Torchlight, said: “There was lots of colour and illumination on show.

There were some really lovely lanterns made by schools, community groups and charities in the local area, as well as a refugee community in Kendal.

“Next year the plan is to build on this year and have a really big celebration once again.

“It’s really important to put events like this on in the community. It’s become a part of Kendal tradition. It’s part of our culture and heritage.”