Hull Freedom Festival crowds set to top 100,000

Organisers of Hull's annual Freedom Festival have said they hope the number of visitors will top the 100,000 mark.

The three-day arts festival, which runs until Sunday, takes place in a variety of venues across the city centre.

Now in its eighth year, it began during Hull's 2007 commemorations marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British Empire's slave trade.

Hull MP William Wilberforce was a leading member of the campaign to abolish slavery.

Last year's event attracted record crowds of 115,000 but this year's official total will not be announced until later next week.

The festival's executive director Jenny Coombes said there was a broader programme of events this year.

"One of the aims is bringing different generations together," she said.

"Feedback from people attending has been fantastic."

Events began on Friday evening with the specially commissioned Voices of Freedom mass choral performance on the River Hull.

The event, followed by a firework display, was designed to explain how water has shaped the identity of the city and its port.

It was preceded by the Rag and Bone's Pageant which entertained crowds on High Street and Tower Street.

The festival features more than 200 acts including music, street theatre, outdoor arts and comedy.