THE TOWN centre was engulfed in vivid colour this weekend as a parade got Basingstoke Festival underway.

Kicking off the hotly-anticipated event, a parade, organised by Fluid Motion Theatre Company, marched through the town on Friday, June 24.

With vibrant costumes and incredible music from the marching band, hundreds looked on as the vast parade ran its course, beginning on Church Street, the parade marched, sang and danced its way to the top of town, down Wote Street, passing through Festival Square before coming to a halt at the Amphitheatre outside the Angel Wetherspoons.

READ MORE: All you need to know as Basingstoke Festival kicks off

Hundreds of participants brought the parade to life, including representatives from local businesses as well as children from various schools.

The above gallery shows 27 pictures from the event, click on the photo to view the full gallery.

You can watch a video of the parade here:

@basingstokegazette Come and watch the Basingstoke Festival Parade #Festival #pride #musicfestival #Glastonbury #costume #mammamia #bonjovi #CapCut ♬ Mamma Mia From 'Mamma Mia!' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

More than 500 young people and community performers took part, the theme of this year's parade this year was  ‘Flourish – being the best you can be’.

Throughout the next three weekends, there is a programme of more than 50 indoor and community events taking place during the festival.

One of the national shows being performed this year is Look Mum, No Hands from Daryl and Co. and Mimbre. This is a tender story about friendship and growing up and explores the idea of independence versus interdependence, vulnerability and strength, using striking physical imagery. The performance takes advantage of the fact that one of the characters uses a wheelchair to create original and unexpected acrobatic shapes and choreographies.

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The Place will present The album: skool edition by SAY, an outdoor dance show celebrating the joy and innocence of making up dances to exciting new music. Combining fast-paced and slick contemporary routines to new music, including tracks with UK beatbox champion MC Zani and alternative pop artist Naomi Banks, this is an interactive show created specifically for kids and their families.

A show which will engage all the senses, Eau de Memoire from Francesca Baglione, as Miss High Leg Kick, will be interactive and fun, celebrating the rich experiences and memories evoked by our sense of smell.

The festival will also be supporting home-grown local talent. This includes Proteus Theatre Company performing Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Fluid Motion premiering a new show The Greatest Show on Earth, where audiences will be able to immerse themselves in the natural world to improve wellbeing. Scratchbuilt Productions’ The Fairy Finders Trail will take audiences through town centre green spaces on a magical adventure and Junk Jodie’s new show for children SEA-TACULAR will highlight the importance of protecting seas and rivers from plastic pollution.

Basingstoke Festival is a partner in Without Walls, working with festivals and artists and bringing outdoor arts to people across the UK.

For more information go to basingstokefestival.co.uk.