A bumper Christmas event has been hailed as the biggest and best ever.

Around 100,000 visitors flocked to Bury St Edmunds this weekend for the town’s 10th annual Christmas Fayre, which has grown into one of the stalwarts of Suffolk’s festive calendar.

The four-day festival saw different stalls and activities spring up around the town, keeping the masses entertained and boosting the local economy.

Robert Everitt, St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s portfolio holder for communities, was master of ceremonies at the event, which ran from Thursday evening until Sunday afternoon.

He said: “It brings a huge financial boost to the town and the businesses from all those people being here, and just as importantly most of those people will come back through the year.

“We learn from our mistakes. This year the park and ride worked extremely well, but there are always things we can improve on. It’s a team effort in Bury, and when everyone comes together it’s remarkable what can be achieved by our town.”

Mark Cordell, Our Bury St Edmunds chief executive, added: “It probably was the biggest trading weekend for our businesses so as a one-off it’s a great thing.

“But more importantly, it’s part of our attempts to raise the profile regionally and nationally.”

The fair came just a week after Bury was named as one the top 10 high streets in the country by The Daily Telegraph.

Stalls at different locations around Bury offered treats such as cheeses, sauces and cakes, while there was also festive music on the Greene King stage at the Angel Hill.

The town’s iconic Abbey Gardens played host to seasonal activities such as a magic show and Santa’s post office.

Organiser Sharon Fairweather, tourism officer and event manager at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said this year’s event was probably the biggest ever, with more stalls and also starting a day earlier, but was still confident it could be bettered in 2014.

She said: “It’s about keeping it a little bit different and adding something fresh every year, but we’ve got plenty of time to think about that!”