The fifth Dartford Festival of Light took place on Friday October 25 and attracted record numbers. 11 schools took part this year across the borough and over 500 pupils were joined by friends and family in the evening lantern parade which started at the Orchard Shopping Centre before going down the High Street and finishing at Dartford Central Park by the bandstand. The schools were joined by popular Samba Group Bloco Fogo and local dhol drummers from the Four by Four Bhangra Youth Club and Cultural Beats.

The parade was led by local dignitaries including the Leader of Dartford Borough Council Cllr. Jeremy Kite MBE and former Mayors of the Borough Cllr Ann Allen, Cllr Pat Coleman and Cllr Eddy Lampkin.

Once the parade reached Central Park which was specially lit up for the occasion, each school was presented with awards for participating before the Festival was climaxed by popular comedy duo Danny and Dan.

The Festival of Light was put together by local arts organisation Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Dartford Borough Council and Kent County Council.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who organised the event the “I was so pleased that all the hard work paid off. Yet again the diverse communities of Dartford came out as one to support the Festival and highlighted the positive community relations enjoyed in the Borough. It was a joy to see so many young people in attendance showcasing their artistic work and great credit needs to go to the schools for their hard work in the build-up and our partners Dartford Borough Council and Arts Council England for their support and encouragement.”