FIFTY thousand people turned out in one weekend for this year’s Christmas Light Festival, making it the “best ever”, organisers have said.

The festival took place between Friday, November 20 and Sunday, November 22 with venues such as Pembroke College, the Museum of Natural History and the Oxford Ice Rink hosting events around the city.

An estimated 15,000 spectators gathered on Friday night as the festival kicked off with two main events. Some 180 children from eight Oxford primary schools took part in a lantern procession and artist Dan Shorten put on a series of light projections on the Clarendon building in Broad Street.

A further 20,000 visited the Christmas market on Saturday and Sunday, with a total of 50,000 people across all happenings.

Councillor Bob Price, the leader of Oxford City Council, said: “This year’s Christmas Light Festival was undoubtedly the best ever.

“The sheer number of cultural organisations that took part and put on activities for Oxford’s families was astonishing – it seemed wherever you turned in Oxford over the weekend there was something happening.

“The lantern procession clearly involved a large number of school children and the quality of the lanterns was higher than ever. This has confirmed the lantern parade as a key part of the festival for future years. 

“This year’s festivities point us towards a positive future for the Christmas Light Festival.”

Rachel Capell, city events officer at Oxford City Council, added: “As always, it’s been fantastic working with all our cultural partners and we're really pleased to have included so many outdoor activities and events in the festival this year.

“We hope to build on this success for next year.”

The Christmas Light Festival was organised by Oxford City Council and Ian Nolan Events in partnership with Oxford’s cultural organisations.

Ian Nolan, director of Ian Nolan events, said: "We are absolutely delighted with how well received the Christmas Light Festival was. 

 “Oxford is a city that has inspired culture and creativity for hundreds of years. The Christmas Light Festival is about coming together and celebrating the wonderful mix of organisations and communities that make our city so great.”

Oxford University was the festival’s lead sponsor, with additional sponsorship from the Westgate Shopping Centre.

Helen Watson, director of planning and resource allocation section at Oxford University, said: “Contributing to the economic and cultural life of the city is really important to us.

“We have contributed to this event for a number of years, but I really think this was the best ever. I am so glad we were a part of making this happen.”

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For more dazzling photos of this year’s Christmas Light Festival, please see our gallery.