OLD Town’s streets were brimming with energy as crowds turned out for an eclectic mix of music, dance and colour for the launch of the festivities yesterday.

Entering its 14th year, the first full day of the Old Town Festival saw the welcome return of the parade, featuring majorettes, cadets, drama and dance groups from across Swindon.

The winners were crowned at The Lawn as the Army Cadet Force Drums, with runners up Googleapps Brokers on their five-man bicycle.

The parade sparked a host of activities through the day and into this week, including a dog show, samba and rockabilly bands, as well as fairground rides.

Coun Nadine Watts (Lab, Old Town) said: “It is really good that we are having the parade again this year, because we missed out on it last year but have had some wonderful support from one lady who has stepped in to help organise it.

“There is so much involvement to try and lift the area, and there is a really good sense of community here, which is just shown by the fantastic numbers of people who have turned out.

“It’s a real privilege to be a part of something like this.”

The day began with street theatre along the length of Wood Street, put on by drama students aged between 10 and 15, from Commonweal School.

Heather Birkbeck, head of drama at Commonweal, said: “They have had a workshop with Mark Bishop from The Naturals Theatre group about what you would not expect to find in a summer festival.

“What you would not expect is Santa, elves, coral singers, or people demonstrating against having fun, so that is what they have done.”

The parade looped around Wood Street and Devizes Road, with the likes of the Britannia Majorettes, Kitty Langan Studio and Cadley School of Dance taking part.

Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon, said: “This is important for Old Town but also for Swindon because you get such a range of musical and performing arts talent on display from right across the town, and it is a real showcase.

“The weather is superb for it, the crowds are bigger than I can remember, and the parade was exciting and energetic, so it should be a great family fun day.”

Kath Corrie, 71, of Old Town, said: “The whole thing is great, and very energetic. I did not know we had so many dance groups in Swindon, and they were all brilliant.

“The street art was very good, especially the ‘sleepers’, and my 12-year-old grandson was one of them.

“The festival is very important because it keeps the area alive. It is more lively up here than the rest of town and much more of a community feel on days like today.”

John Hunt, 71, of Old Town, said: “This brings the community together again for the day, and there is a lot more people than I thought there would be.

“All of the kids have done brilliantly in the parade and it was a great start to the day.”

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Josie Williams, festival chairman for the 2015 event, said: There is a lot of hard work that goes in to this, and we will start planning it in September for the following year.

“That would not be possible without our committee, which is a great team of people giving time freely for the people of Swindon.

“It is wonderful to see such a massive turn out and the support from the community.”