Pictures and video: Thousands turn out for Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival

More than 5,000 people flocked to 13th Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival to join in the fun, enjoying exhibitions, workshops, music, animation and live cartooning.

Award-winning Private Eye cartoonist Tony Husband got the festival under way and was joined by about 40 other cartoonists.

Sarah Knapp, festival co-ordinator, said: "It was absolutely brilliant, it was so busy. Many people in the county woke up to snow, so that was magical but it was cold in the morning but by the afternoon it warmed up. It was a really great day.

"We were very lucky. The theme of this year's festival was luck – and we certainly had that!

"There were so many highlights, and of course the quality of the cartoonists' work was absolutely fabulous."

Some of the fun on offer included exhibitions of cartoon art by some of the best artists in the country, on-screen cartoons in the Old Market Hall Café, The Luck of the Draw exhibition at Bear Steps Gallery, caricaturists drawing people's faces and putting them onto souvenir mugs, as well as a "pixel picture house" where people have the chance to draw on a tablet.

"The mayor and his wife came along, and had fun. He even had a go at drawing on the tablet, and I've got to say his drawing wasn't great but it's all about the taking part," Sarah joked.

"It was a day filled with so much laughter and smiles, from the children as well as the adults."

Following on from the festival's growing success, Sarah said the hope is to revert the festival back to its original two day format.

"We used to run over two days but we didn't have the funds to carry on with that, so we went down to one day, so hopefully as the festival grows we can go back to it taking place over two days, that is the aim anyway."

She added: "It was great to see the town so full of happy people, it was fantastic. I'd just like to thank all the volunteers, as well as everyone who supported the event."