THE sight of thousands of people enjoying themselves in Bolton town centre over an August bank holiday is nothing new.

For the weekend has been associated with festival fun for many years. The food and drink festival is just the latest major event to bring the town centre to life as this delve into our archives reveals.

Le Mans Crescent was packed for the Victorian Street Fair in 1989 and an unsuccessful attempt was made on the world’s biggest teddy bears’ picnic in 1986.

Deane CE Primary School pupil Linda Biney, six, won a competition to design the official poster for the Bolton Festival in 1985 and hundreds of balloons took to the air over Victoria Square to mark the official opening of the 1981 event.

Members of St Philip’s AODS donned Victorian dress in 1991.

Festival processions were often held and in 1981 these three girls brought a Wild West theme to Bolton on their float.

Two years later the staff from Cinderella Rockerfella’s donned fancy dress to get into the festival spirit.