DORCHESTER Festival brought colour and music to the town's streets and gardens this year.

The weekend featured performances and displays in art, literature, theatre and different types of music.

Events began on Thursday with a special launch event and reading performance by Dorchester Arts Centre patron Ann Jellicoe.

Friday saw a comedy night with Terry Saunders and a performance by Wow Youth Musical Theatre at the Corn Exchange.

Saturday and Sunday was brightened up with dancing from the Frome Valley Morris dancers, street theatre, salsa, two art exhibitions, a samba procession through the town centre and live folk, rock and classical music.

Well-known faces that attended the weekend included actor and writer Steven Berkoff, who held a theatre workshop and talk, and author Louis de Bernieres who explained and performed parts of his new novel A Partisan's Daughter.

The weekend's events were organised once again by Dorchester Arts Centre.

Artistic director Sharon Hayden said: "The weekend went very smoothly and we are happy with how it has progressed.

"Ticket sales have been good and a lot of people turned up on the door to events."

She said about 5,000 people had attended this year's celebrations.

She added: "This is the first time the Borough Gardens house has been used. An exhibition there has been inspired by the gardens. It's really vibrant and lovely.

"Dorchester Festival brings an international flavour and international cultures to a very typical Dorset town.

"We blend the contemporary and the traditional and there is a big community element."

Dorchester Festival ends at 9pm today after an afternoon of free music and events at the Borough Gardens including children's workshops, an afternoon performance by Dorchester Community Choir and an evening of folk, rock, jazz and pop music.