THERE was wall to wall festive activity in Grassington at the weekend as the popular Grassington Dickensian Festival drew to a close on Sunday.

The festival has been part of the Grassington calendar for almost four decades and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country.

It is also an ideal setting for local businesses to attract more trade in the run up to Christmas .

Car parks were full to bursting with coaches and local transport providing buses from Wakefield and Leeds as well as Skipton.

Poor weather conditions at some point on both weekends did not dampen spirits though the final Sunday did see a brighter day.

Dickensian Festival co-ordinator Angela Jackson said it had been another successful two weekends.

Estimating there were around 10,000 visitors, she said: “Nothing at all was dampened by the rain in terms of us putting on the entertainment, offering the wares on the stalls and generally the grittiness of the locals to keep the show on the road.

“Visitors braved the weather conditions on Saturday and turned out in spirit regardless. Fairer weather on Sunday ensured we had a record day in terms of visitors over the whole of the festival.”

Stallholders and shopkeepers dressed in period costume and youngsters from local schools enjoy taking part and singing carols in the square.

There were also visits this year from local organisations such as the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association which opened up its Hub as a cafe.

This year was the 38th year of Grassington Dickensian Festival bringing an annual mix of multi visual arts and live music with cultural experiences to residents and visitors.

The event is supported by a host of supporters and continues to attract big names to its stage each year.

An important element apart from the supporters and volunteers is the festival friends who pay an annual fee of between £25 and £150 and receive priority booking, discounts, name credits, newsletters and the chance to enjoy a friends concert and dinner.

Preparations are now underway for the 2019 festival.