THE sun shone on event-goers who came out in their droves to enjoy Kendal Torchlight Gathering this weekend.

Crowds of people filled Kendal town centre to enjoy the annual event which saw a host of performers entertain the public.

This year’s theme was ‘scrapheap legends.' The participants had to recycle waste materials into something unique and useful.

The torchlight parade is an important event in the calendar for Kendal.

Throughout the summer, there have been dozens of workshops and masterclasses as community groups, families and friends come together to make lanterns, quirky costumes, giant puppets and even learn how to be part of a drumming ensemble for this year’s event.

They were all encouraged to use recycled or scrap materials, whether that’s fabric, wood, metal or plastic.

On Friday 23, four walking processions made  their way from the outskirts of Kendal before joining at Abbot Hall for an opening ceremony and evening of live music.

Each procession had a giant figurehead which will be followed by dancers, bands and people joining the processions in colourful costumes. The four processions left from Sandylands, Kendal College, Kirkbarrow and Hallgarth, led by the giant mascots - Iron Giant, Patchwork Pegasus, Litterbug and Scrap Dragon.

On Saturday, Kendal town centre hosted the ‘Street Party’ where there was a host of creative workshop stalls, street entertainment, live music and a daytime procession.

A spokesman for Kendal Town Council said: "The sun came out for torchlight. Kendal put on an incredible show. A special thanks to The Dance Atikk, Stagecoach Theatre School and Vijay Vencat who performed at the Torchlight Reception for guests from far and wide, including our Twin Town Rinteln."

Abbot Hall hosted entertainment throughout the day, with a kid’s art area, afternoon tea, food vendors, a cabaret-style marquee with music and entertainment, and the return of the giant lantern garden.

The new addition to Abbot Hall this year was a large inflatable music stage, with an exciting programme of music throughout the day on Saturday and headline acts on both Friday and Saturday evenings. 

Chair Craig Russell said: “Last year we chose to celebrate our gardens and green spaces after spending so much time in lockdown enjoying them. This year we continue our environmental theme but with a focus on scrap and recycling. We will be bringing back some of the amazing lanterns from last year, but with the introduction of many new ones to create this scrapheap landscape."