Brighton was set ablaze as the city enjoyed its biggest and best-ever festival weekend.

About 70,000 people were at Preston Park on Saturday to see The Light Players, a £120,000 pyrotechnics display.

Thousands more packed the city centre to watch the bizarre and brilliant acts that made up the Streets of Brighton festival.

Staff in restaurants, pubs and cafs were run off their feet as people took a break before enjoying more festivities.

Every year the festival contributes £20 million to the city's economy and attracts more than 400,000 people.

About a third of the people at shows are from outside Brighton and Hove.

Festival organisers, tourism bosses and city leaders hailed the weekend as a huge success and a massive boost to the local economy.

Jane McMorrow, head of the festival, said: "The Light Players was certainly the largest event we have ever held and it was the culmination of an incredibly successful couple of days.

"We had such beautiful weather on Saturday and drew so many people in for the Streets of Brighton. It was fantastic to see so many people laughing and enjoying the shows.

"The festival has already hit its target for ticket sales, which is wonderful as we're only a week into it, and it looks like we're going to set a new record for the number of tickets sold."

Dave Reeves of Zap Art, which coordinates the Streets of Brighton, said: "We were thinking the crowds would be big but there were more people than we ever imagined.

"When you add together the number of people at Preston Park with those at the Streets of Brighton the festival must have brought 110,000 people into the city on Saturday alone. That's amazing."

Roger Marlowe, president of the Brighton and Hove Hotel Association, said events such as The Light Players and Streets of Brighton were what set the city apart from rival destinations.

He said: "Why do people come to Brighton and not Blackpool? Because it's seen as the place to be. The festival is vital in maintaining the city's cultural edge and brings in business for months and months."

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Simon Burgess was delighted with the weekend.

He said: "It provided a great showcase for the city and really summed up what it is all about. Where else can you watch a ballet, a snorkling rock band and an incredible fireworks show in one day?

"There was such a great atmosphere, it makes people want to come back."