SPECTACULAR fireworks and dance displays wowed crowds at Marsden's annual fire festival last night.
The event marked Imbolc, the Celtic festival of spring.
It was the 11th time the Imbolc festival has been held in Marsden and the event attracted a good crowd, despite the weather.
At 7pm the crowd gathered at Standedge Visitor Centre car park, near Marsden railway station, to watch Sheffield fire dancing group Mr Fox start the festival.
Then a procession left the car park, featuring Marsden people who had learned fire swinging at workshops, with children who carried home-made lanterns.
Marsden Community Orchestra featured in the parade, along with two teams of Marsden drummers and a team of Green Men drummers whose members travelled from all over Britain.
The procession marched through woodland along the canal.
At the end, there was a battle between a giant Jack Frost figure and a giant green man figure.
The green man won the fight, to symbolise spring triumphing over winter.
To round off the event, there were spectacular fireworks from pyrotechnics firm Paboom Phenomenal Fireworks.
Angie Boycott, of event organisers Kirklees Countryside Volunteers, said: "It went extremely well. It was brilliant. We got a good crowd who were very receptive.
"We had a lot of people from Marsden but also people from York, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham who came to watch."
