Illuminations have returned to Southend seafront and town centre to mark the incoming city status.

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The LuminoCity Festival of Light is drawing in families and visitors to brave the chilly nights as the town and seafront is taken over by stunning music and illumination displays.

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The display with around 10 light shows and installations runs until Saturday and celebrated the city status granted in memory of Sir David Amess MP who was killed last October.

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The free event, which resurrects Southend’s proud history of illuminations, already has residents past and present excited.

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The attractions begin with Together, hands linked in a love heart as a sign of hope and resilience at the top of the high street by Victoria Shopping Centre.

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Visitors can then head to The Forum to see the Silvana Light Maze, a high-tech maze of lights.

Continuing the journey down the high street towards the pier, will be the third installation, Submergence, made up of thousands of points of suspended lights.

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And slightly further on are some imaginary illuminated birds known as Les Lumineoles.

The fifth installation, Angels of Freedom, can then be found in the centre of the High Street, and allows people to pose as angels with illuminated wings.

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Installations six and seven are on Pier Hill – the Scribble Trees, which are futuristic lit-up trees, and the Light Benches, which are a place to sit down on stylised seating.

 

Then heading up towards the Western Esplanade will be the Radiance; these lit-up trees are inspired by the much-missed Never Never Land attraction which used to be the pride of Southend.

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The ninth installation is the ace up Luminocity’s sleeve – House of Cards is a series of giant, lit-up, playing cards.

And opposite the Happidrome Arcade is the final installation, musical lit-up seesaws known as the Wave Field.