FORTY years after Altrincham Festival first hit the streets in 1977, the borough's biggest free event is still creating a spectacle that Trafford can be proud of.

Saturday's festival showcased a revamped look and feel with an eclectic range of foodie stalls, an all-new stage and a licensed bar.

Greek street food, Spanish tapas, Thai noodles and South African BBQ were just some of the mouth-watering dishes on offer, reflecting the foodie vibe that Altrincham is famous for.

But it was the Grand Parade that stole the show with all the noisy and colourful pageantry and razzmatazz we've come to expect from Trafford's favourite festival.

This year's parade celebrated the magic of the silver screen with a movie themed parade. But the biggest star on show (literally) was a huge, Starchaser rocket.

Standing 40ft high and pointing towards the clear blue sky, the white rocket had children and adults enraptured.

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The festival had faced the real possibility of being cancelled because of a lack of funding, but organisers rescued the summer spectacle and put on a showcase of local talent that rivalled any in the festival's illustrious past.

Neil Taylor, Altrincham and District Festival director, said: “This has been another very successful year for the Altrincham Festival considering some of the challenges that we have faced this year.

"The parade went ahead and showcased local people that took part and our new themed parade, “The Movies”, was a big hit.

"We had a revamp on the showground and this was a big success, the new eclectic food and drink area proved to be very popular with a fantastic range of food and drink for all.

"Also new for 2018 was our stage, and this was used to showcase local talent, and we had bands, singers, dance troupes and even a poet for the very first time. We will be looking forward to expanding this next year.

"And for the first time ever, as far as we know, Altrincham had a real space rocket go through the town and then set up on the showground, so people could get up close. Star Chaser had to be seen to be believed.

"A massive thank you goes out to the team of volunteers that made this free event a smash hit."

The Altrincham Festival started in 1977 as part of the queen’s silver jubilee celebrations. The festival has always been run and organised by volunteers on a non-for profit basis.