Darlington town centre hosted a weekend of fun with a festival which attracted a range of entertaining acts.

Organisers of this year's Darlington Festival said the event was bigger and better than before.

The focus of the event was the market square, with several roads closed to traffic to allow it to go ahead.

Jeff Dawson, events manager, said last night: "The weather has been really very good and I would say crowds are on a par with last year."

The fun started on Saturday when Century 100-02 FM launched the festival.

Over the weekend, a series of acts entertained the crowds in the square, including Sing-a-long-a Abba, which pays tribute to the famous Swedish pop band.

Not even a 20-minute loss of electricity, caused by a power surge, could dampen the spirits of the audience in the market place.

Yesterday's theme was world music, with plenty of activities in the square, including children's music workshops.

Among bands appearing were acts from Brazil and South Africa.

The market square continues to be the centre of activity today and street entertainers will be appearing around the town centre.

Rounding the weekend off are The Imposters, appearing tonight from 7.30pm with their Ultimate Sixties Show.