Truro lights up for famous festival

The spirits of the people of Truro soared skyward as the annual City of Lights Festival filled the streets with a warm glow.

Thousands of spectators from across Cornwall thronged the pavements as hundreds of locals of all ages paraded their Chinese-style paper lanterns past.

And marching bands and dance groups, from salsa to booming bass drums, added to the carnival atmosphere.

The event also sparked the official start of the festive season in Truro, with the parade pausing in Boscawen Street for the Christmas lights switch on.

And it came to a close in spectacular style with a fireworks display viewed by hundreds who packed into Lemon Quay as the explosions burst into the night sky over Chapel Hill. Scores of others lined Morlaix Avenue for an elevated view while people could be seen watching from upstairs the windows of flats and offices everywhere.

The self-funded festival has grown in popularity for more than a decade, with dozens of schools and community groups holding their creations overhead along the route from the TA Centre in Moresk Road.

The internally-lit lanterns - measuring up to 20ft, depicted everything from moons and stars to a hippopotamus and human figure with jointed arms.

It is expected businesses will report booming trade from the evening as revellers filled restaurants and pubs and some shops made an early start to the late-night shopping season, which officially begins on Wednesday, when Santa will be pulled through the streets by real reindeer.