It's been a week since families and friends flocked to Central Park for Dartford Festival.

For those of you who are missing it already, here are some photos and memories of the big event.

Once again the festival proved popular, with music, food, drink, games, and fairground rides to keep people entertained across the two days.

Unsurprisingly, it was the rides that appealed to the younger crowd, although one wouldn’t recommend them after indulging in the plentiful ice cream and burger options available.

Of course music is the main reason thousands of people flock to Central Park for the annual festival and the headline act this year was 2016 X Factor winner Matt Terry.

Also on stage were The Christians, Space, Peter Hook & The Light, Ian Prowse & Amsterdam, and many more, but the community stage was also popular.

Particularly impressive were the Irish dancers from Fryday’s Academy last Saturday afternoon, but that’s when the rain arrived.

Not that it deterred more people from turning up, with the main stage completely packed out by the time Terry was performing in the early evening.

There was plenty to do on Sunday, too, and those who fancied a break from the music could explore a huge range of charity and commercial stalls.

Dartford FC, Dartford Valley Rugby Club, Dartford Hockey Club and Dartford Cricket Club ran taster sessions.

But no doubt there was something for everyone again this year, with Dartford MP Gareth Johnson pleased to see so many enjoying themselves.

“It’s nice how Dartford comes together every year for the Dartford Festival,” he said. “The festival is an opportunity for Dartford to showcase some of its local charities and it’s great that residents get this free of charge every year come rain or shine.”

Other well known local faces in attendance included the Mayor of Dartford Cllr Rosanna Currans, who unveiled a new-look recycling lorry featuring designs by school children.

For council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) it represented a fine opportunity to relax before a full council meeting on Monday night.

“Some local councils seem to be offering less and less when it comes to local celebrations but we’ve worked hard to build the reputation of the Dartford Festival,” he said.

“We’re supporting more and more community events in and around our neighbourhoods but the Dartford Festival is a fantastic showpiece for the whole town.”

See lots more pictures in the current edition of the Dartford Messenger. Watch video from the festival by searching for Dartford Messenger on Facebook or following @KMDartford on Twitter. To buy pictures, head to kentmessenger.newsprints.co.uk