IN PICTURES: Plenty of colour lining the streets as Christmas pageant and festival take over central Albany

The brisk December weather did little to dampen the spirits of the crowds at Albany Christmas Festival and Pageant. While most of the attention was on the floats travelling up and down York Street, there was plenty of colour lining the streets as a cast of thousands celebrated the start of the holiday period. Families were out in force as mums, dads and children made the most of fun games, a busy market and food options from a variety of vendors from mid-afternoon on Saturday. People looked to find the best possible vantage points to watch the 30 floats parade up and down the street from 6pm.