IT’S a cracker the whole village enjoys before Christmas.

About 1,500 people came to Hook for the village’s annual Christmas Cracker night last Friday to get into the mood for the festive period.

Shouts of excitement came from teenagers enjoying the fair rides set up in the car park of The Raven Hotel in Station Road.

Organisers closed part of Station Road to make space for other attractions, such as performances by the Hook Eagle Morris Men, a large inflatable ball-park for children and a fire-breathing juggler.

There was food and drink from the many stalls that lined the street, or for free from some of the village shops that stayed open late into the evening.

Natalie Menzies, 28, from Alton, came to the event for the first time with her 22-month-old son Liam.

She said: “It’s a great event – it’s nice and festive and it has got me into the spirit of Christmas.”

Bernice Wall organised the event, which was part-funded by Hook Parish Council.

She said: “It was absolutely fabulous. The weather was not as bad as it had been so we were blessed with the best weather we could get.

“The coming year we will look to work on everything we have done for this year and provide a bigger and better event for 2010.”

She thanked volunteers who helped marshal road traffic and the staff who manned the fairground rides.