Despite the rain, over 200 festival goers displayed strong community spirit to celebrate International Day on the Craylands Estate in Basildon.

Drag-artist ‘Her Majesty The Queen’, an Australian comedian opened the event with a release of 500 balloons. International Day celebrates diverse cultures and each year gets more popular.

Activities for the day included face painting, balloon modelling, belly dancers, tai chi, Chinese line dance, African traditional dancers and much more.

Residents from Fryerns, Craylands and across Basildon came together at Frypa Hall to celebrate different cultures, taste different foods and see different dances from around the world.

“I wished you could organise this more often, it was great fun and I enjoyed the food!”