CROWDS gathered in Dalton to witness the start of the towns festive season.

Onlookers at Tudor Square watched as the town's Christmas tree lit-up and filled the air with Christmas cheer.

It was a full day of festivities for the crowds, with plenty of activities to choose from during the build up to the light switch-on.

St Mary’s Church opened it’s doors at 2pm to welcome visitors to take a look at the vast amount of Christmas tree’s they have on display.

The theme for this years Christmas Tree Festival is ‘A favourite song’.

Visitors from near and far were delighted by designs ranging from Baby Shark to Queen classic I Want to Break Free.

The Dalton Community Association held a Christmas Fair in the Drill hall, which got a visit from Father Christmas himself!

Father Christmas could later be seen walking down Market Street wishing people a merry Christmas, to which a young child could be heard shouting 'Santa!' from down the road.

Residents across the town decorated their houses to a spectacular standard, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Houses boasted light-up reindeers, snowmen and Santa's, with lights lining the windows and rooftops.

The crowded streets were filled with children and adults alike as the time grew closer to the coveted switch-on.

Onlookers at Tudor Square watched as the town's Christmas tree lit-up and filled the air with Christmas cheer.

The event was attended by Rotarians who donated the Christmas Tree to the town.

Rotary president Bob Herbert was amongst those who came.

After the switch-on the crowds followed Santa and his reindeers towards Market Place where local band Sugarfoot entertained the masses.

One Dalton resident said: "I love this time of year.

"It's a great time for us to come together as a community.

"It's great fun for my kids, it gets them ready for Santa coming."

A visitor from Barrow said: "I come to the Dalton switch-on every year.

"It's just become a bit of a tradition now.

"I think that it's really nice how the people who live along the main street have put loads of effort into their houses, it's almost as if they're a part of it too."

The pubs in the area also got into the spirit of things, with punters showing off their karaoke talents with renditions of Spirit in the Sky to Mr Brightside.