A weekend of festive fun sees March lit up for Christmas and the annual Christmas Market too

March was filled with seasonal good cheer all weekend starting on Friday night with the annual lights switch-on and rounded off on Sunday with the Christmas Market.

The town centre was packed on Friday night as thousands turned out to watch the lights go on and enjoy a raft of entertainment including live music on the Market Place and fair rides in Broad Street and High Street.

Some shops remained open to allow for a little Christmas shopping.

Thousands of lights now sparkle through the town centre thanks to the hard work of volunteers and March Town Council after mayor Jan French, assisted by Father Christmas, who earlier had arrived on this sleigh, flicked the switch.

Once again local boaters moored their vessels decked out with lights in the town centre to add another dimension to the occasion.

Sunday also saw a good turn out for the annual Christmas Market which had dozens of stalls offering lots of festive treats including specialist cheeses and breads and once again there were fair rides in Broad Street and charity stalls too.