The annual Christmas light switch-on brought an array of colour and costumes to Darlington, as a large crowd of young and old turned up to see the lights.

The festive showcase gave the local youth of Darlington a chance to really shine and bring a healthy dose of holiday cheer to the town centre.

Attendees were particularly impressed with performances by local talent, including children from the Darlington Academy of Performing Arts.

Atkins A Steph praised the performances put on by the arts academy, "who opened the whole show from 4pm amazingly," highlighting the "local talent of all ages".

Jennifer Liz echoed these sentiments, as well as praising the efforts made to accommodate for everyone at the event.

She said it was a "really wonderful event, especially loved the accessible section that was added at the front".

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Jennifer added: "Absolutely fabulous, and great staff. Everyone I spoke to was happy to help both before the event and during."

The showcase drew plenty of compliments with others commending the organisation and the community spirit of the town.

However, the event didn't pass by without criticism, some Darlington residents pointed out issues with equipment and visibility.

Linda Johnson said: "The only thing I've heard off people is that they couldn't see and the screen was too low so maybe next year put the big screens up higher."

In spite of negativity about the lights switch-on and the town, people were quick to stand up for Darlington.

Sasha Warr said: "It so sad that some people in Darlington constantly run it down."

While Margery Best highlighted the effort put into the occasion by all involved saying: "well done Darlington."