THOUSANDS of people packed all available space in front of the town hall for one of the highlight's of this year's Arts By The Sea Festival.

The Hydromania show, billed as an interplay of water, light, physical performance and music, attracted a large crowd, which stretched back across the road into the central gardens.

After the show, which started after nightfall, the central gardens' packed out with visitors exploring Dr Kronovator's Fire Laboratory - a visual installation and performance piece.

The festival, now in its seventh year, includes more than 70 acts and events.

People spent the afternoon enjoying installations in the Square, Lower Gardens, pier and beach front.

Many of these installations, such as the Mechanical Heart, The Umbrella Tree and The Celestial Sound Cloud are interactive and boast special lighting - which meant they were transformed at dusk.

Live music was performed in the bandstand and a number of live theatre acts took place in public spaces throughout day one of the eight-day festival.

While the core of the Arts by the Sea Festival programme takes place outdoors there is a wealth of talent on show at such renowned venues as the Shelley Theatre and Pavilion Dance, as well as more under the radar locations like St Peter’s Church and The Old Firestation.

A host of critically acclaimed shows are coming to the town next week, including Joe Sellman-Leava’s Labels - a story about immigration; Luke Jermay’s mind bending magic tricks in Sixth Sense and Medea, Written in Rage - a unique take on the classic story performed by vocalist and dancer extraordinaire, Francois Testory and co-presented with Pavilion Dance South West.

Local artist Harriet Muller explores this year’s Arts by the Sea theme, Plastic Beach, creating seascapes and creatures using recycled plastics in her exhibition Aquastic, running throughout the festival at Pavilion Dance.

Visit artsbythesea.co.uk/whats-on/ @artsbythesea to find out more.