THOUSANDS of people lit up the streets of Slaithwaite in a celebration to remember.

Organisers estimated that about 3,000 people turned out for the 22nd annual Moonraking Festival.

This year's festival theme was Mari- time Moonraking and the festival's climax, the lantern procession, was headed by a galleon.

The parade included hundreds of people with home-made lanterns on a maritime theme such as ships, fish and even submarines.

The procession made its way from the Old Bank car park in the centre of the village and through the narrow streets, before ending up at the side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

The chairman of the organising group, Stuart Render, said the procession was the longest ever and the whole festival the best ever.

He added: "We had more than 250 lanterns and the procession was that long it took a while for the last people in it to get going.

There were also five bands in the procession, each with their own style.

One of the regular participants, the Peace Artistes, had been instrumental in bringing over a Dutch band, Tegin Wind, who regularly play at European festivals.

"There was a really great atmosphere," said Mr Render. "Some of the shops have tables and chairs outside in the summer - but these were filled with people on a February night."

The crowd watched a new sound and light show, as well as the raking of the moon from the canal.

The night finished with a ceilidh at the Colne Valley Leisure Centre.

Moonraking originates from a 19th-century legend of smugglers bringing barrels of drink along the canal.

They saw Customs officers, so left the barrels in the river. But as they recovered them later they were caught by the Customs men.

The smugglers pretended to be drunk and said they thought the Moon's reflection was the actual Moon and they were trying to rake it out - and the Customs officers believed them.