IT WAS a bigger crowd than last year and the sun was out to greet visitors at the Bournemouth Family Festival on Thursday.

A host of activities and fun was on offer as companies, organisations, charities and entertainers came together to show off the best of what they offer to an estimated 25,000 people at Meyrick Park .

Titan the Robot was the headline act of the day, keeping children and their parents laughing with impressions, dancing and movements.

Mr Merlin and the Okey Kokey Dragon, I am Tich and Dame Kitty and the Rubyz crew were just a few more entertainers who put on a show.

More than 170 stalls pitched up, which allowed kids to have their faces painted, try zorbing, learn some hiphop dancing, Brazilian football skills, or even try a daring charity bungee jump.

Most of the fun was free, including the main stage and arena, which hosted different music, dance, entertainment and sport acts to keep the atmosphere lively.

Julian Sandy, organiser of the festival, said: “There were more stalls, more people and more acts than we have ever had before, which has been great.”

He added: “It’s been a great day, and you can see that everybody has enjoyed it.”

Ben Walliman, head of early years at Bournemouth Council, said: “This is the second biggest festival after Bournemouth Air Festival in the town.”

He added: “We offered a wide variety of activities for children, from babies to 19-year-olds and all the stalls here had to provide some sort of activity, which children and families could engage in for free.

“We had a couple of Olympic torch bearers who were charging a small amount of money for people to have their photo taken with them, which was added to the huge amount of money which has been raised for different charities.

“There was a steady flow of people coming in all day,” he said.