A FESTIVAL celebrating rice, spice and culture took place over the weekend with hundreds of people in attendance. 

Colchester's Rice and Spice Festival took place at Berrifield Lawn, in Firstsite, saw dozens of food stalls, dance groups and entertainment. 

The family event, which took place on Saturday, creates an opportunity for Colchester communities to showcase their heritages through food, dance, music, performances, visual arts, traditional clothing and more.

Many attendees even tried on beautiful traditional dresses and clothing. 

Udaibahadur Gurung, the organiser of the event, said: "I believe the festival went beyond our expectations.

"It was well coordinated, ran very smoothly and the general public had plenty of choices from continental food to different dances from across the world."