THE rain and the wind held off on Friday (December 6) night as around 1,500 people descended on Pembroke Dock for the town’s mid-winter festival.

The festival began at 6pm with a lantern parade, led by the ATC band, from Pembroke Dock Youth Centre to Western Way.

Sand Palace Arts hosted a weekend of workshops in the lead up to the festival, which saw about 200 lanterns made by pupils from St Mary’s, Pennar and Pembroke Dock schools light the way.

At Western Way, festival-goers enjoyed a visit from Father Christmas, music from Cleddau FM and a grand firework display.

Robert Jakes, of Sand Palace Arts, said: “Everybody was very pleased and very excited about the possibilities for next year’s bicentenary.

“There’s such a strong sense of community in Pembroke Dock and that really came across.”

Pembroke Dock Festival Group chairman Sue Perkins said: “It was a huge success. The amount of people who turned out was staggering and the children loved it.

“People filled an entire street from beginning to end. The parade was so huge, you couldn’t even begin to do a head count.

“The mid-winter festival really is something for the whole community.”

Thanks go to Pembroke Dock Town Council and Communities First, the police and everybody else who helped.

For more information on becoming a festival group volunteer, contact Sue Perkins on 01646 681459.