CROWDS flocked to the annual Walthamstow Garden Party last weekend.

The two-day event in Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow featured acts from the area and abroad.

The festival which is in its fourth year attracted nearly 35,000 visitors, its highest ever number.

Families were entertained by acrobats from the Walthamstow Youth Circus, Grammy-award winning poets and a group of Tuareg nomads from the Sahara desert known as Tinariwen. A choir from Greenleaf Primary School, Greenleaf Road, Walthamstow, also gave a performance.

Reggae and ska founding fathers the Toots and the Maytals, who have been performing since the early Sixties, headlined on the Barbican stage.

Members of the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians gave Walthamstow a taste of Arabic classical music.

Last summer 50 musicians and singers who had fled the war-torn country were reunited for a European tour. For many, it was the first time they had seen each other since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2011. Some of them, now living in Europe, continue to work together to offer a positive perspective on Syria and its culture.

Louise Jeffreys, director of arts at the Barbican said: "It was wonderful to see thousands of people enjoying the creative wealth that Waltham Forest has to offer. As a Waltham Forest resident myself, witnessing the vibrancy and diversity of the borough was a particular joy, as was seeing world-class music acts such as Tinariwen and Toots and the Maytals.”

A family-friendly art workshop put together by William Morris Gallery and Create and supported by the Stow Brothers, featured printmaking, woodwork, ceramics and textiles.

A selection of plays written by pupils from primary schools across Waltham Forest were performed by Soho Theatre actors.

Doug Hream Blunt was joined by The Messengers, a band made up of people who have experienced homelessness.

Sierra Leonean folk singer Janka Nabay and DJ Cleanshirt were also in attendance.

The festival also featured comedy and film as well as a large selection of local and international cuisines. Darren Springer of OrganicLea, winner of the most recent Ideas Kitchen community funding programme, who delivered mushroom growing workshops.

Cllr Clare Coghill, leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: "The Garden Party goes from strength to strength each year and is a shining example of arts and culture in London.

"This is why we launched our bid to become the first London Borough of Culture on Saturday. With so much to do and enjoy we are in a strong position to win.

"It was great to talk to so many local people who are proud about where they live and want to get involved in making sure Waltham Forest is on the map.”