The opening evening of the Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre went off with a spectacular bang of fireworks and a children’s parade.
The 18th annual Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre is one of the biggest festive markets in the country, drawing in thousands of people from far and wide.
The four-day festive celebration takes over the town's famous Abbey Gardens and the whole town centre, with more than 300 stalls selling food and drink and all things Christmas-themed.
And to end the first night, stunning fireworks could be seen for miles around, with a video showing the spectacular display lighting up the sky.
A children's parade sponsored by new housing development Marham Park also took place, bringing together six different schools to create an "inspired" collection of puppets.
Andrew Carrington, managing director at Countryside developers, said: "Well done to all the schoolchildren, who for one afternoon transformed Bury St Edmunds into a beautiful sea of colour with their imaginative creations.
"We are delighted to have sponsored this year's Christmas parade, which is one of the highlights in Bury St Edmunds every year.
"It was an excellent way to spark the Christmas spirit and inaugurate the Christmas Fayre."
On Friday and Saturday there will be 13 hours to enjoy the festivities from 9am until 8pm - and on Sunday it will open from 10am until 5pm.
This year the town has readied itself for the enormous task of accommodating the thousands of shoppers but car parks across Bury are still expected to fill up quickly.
Julie Baird, assistant director for growth at West Suffolk Council, said: "The Christmas Fayre involves the support and involvement of lots of community groups and businesses and the opening night parade is a brilliant example of this, with local school children helping get the Christmas Fayre underway in spectacular style.
"Our thanks to them and to all those taking part in the fayre festivities and also to our local business sponsors including Marham Park."
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