Thousands of people visited Gravesham this weekend as the borough was lit up for two winter festivals.

Penn Green Park in the Springhead development, Northfleet, was transformed into a magical garden with light installations and street performers on Saturday as part of a free, annual event.

The festival, organised by Cohesion Plus in partnership with Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, Same Sky Arts and supported by KKB Construction, saw hundreds of residents come out.

Artistic director of Cohesion Plus, Gurvinder Sandher, said: “This event is now in its second year and no less spectacular.

“I am so pleased that everyone came out to support it during a cold and dark night but that is exactly the aim of the event, to get everyone out and interacting with amazing art and with each other.

“It is so important that we delivered this event which was free to attend, during a very difficult economic climate where many are struggling to make ends meet.”

There were street performers, DJ sets, mascots, and a creative light show throughout the evening in Ebbsfleet Garden City.

Gravesham Borough Council also hosted its second Winter Lights Festival – this time known as Voyage of Light – on Friday and Saturday.

Light installations and exhibitions were set up across the town including at Town Pier Square, St George’s Church Gardens and Gravesend Borough Market.

These included The Hourglass which featured an interactive story by Arji Manuelpillai that we are all “one world” and a display of Silk River Flags presented by Kinetika.

There was also historical guided tours to the projects and a shrimp trail where visitors were encourages to find all 50 as they made their way along the route.

Cabinet member for community and leisure, Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox, said: “The festival was a really successful free event, attracting thousands of extra visitors across the two days, showcasing Gravesham’s fantastic artistic talent and highlighting the beauty of our historic town.

“We have received many positive comments about the programme from residents, from visitors and from local businesses who benefitted from the numbers of people in town.

“We are grateful to Arts Council England for their support in part funding the programme this year and for the next couple of years along with ourselves, and we are already working on plans for next year’s event.”