The Maidstone Mela went ahead on Sunday after organisers decided to turn the event into a celebration of the life of Queen Elizabeth ll and her contribution to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

The Mela producer Gurvinder Sandher said: "There was a lot of agonizing about whether we should cancel the event following the passing of Her Majesty."

He said: "We were very mindful of the mood of intense sadness which is being felt across the nation and the world.

"In the end after much discussion with partners,we went ahead and I am pleased we did - it allowed the local community to come together and pay their respects and celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth."

The event started with Mr Sandher, wearing a black armband, thanking everyone for attending.

He spoke about Her Majesty's life of service and love of the Commonwealth.

This was followed by the National Anthem performed by Phase 5 Steel Band and then a minute's silence was observed.

Throughout the day images of the Queen’s life were shown on a big screen along with tributes to her from civic leaders from the borough.

The Proclamation from Jubilee Square of the new monarch King Charles III was also screened live and each stall had images of the Queen displayed as a sign of respect.

But the sadness did not halt a full programme of entertainment, both on and off stage.

The highlights included performances by the Square Pegs, the Maidstone Nepalese Community Group, the Kerala Cultural Association, and the Maidstone Malayalee Group.

They were joined by Kits Coty Morris, the Phase 5 Steel Band and the Kings of Dhol.

The Community Mela also saw performances both on and off stage by the Rajasthan Heritage Band as part of their UK tour before flying back to India.

The Mela was attended by Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, Bill Cockcroft.

Mr Sandher said after: “I was humbled by the tremendous support we received.

"The Community Mela is about bringing communities together, to celebrate what unites rather than divides, and Her Majesty in death as during her life brought the communities of Maidstone together again.”

The Mela was produced by a partnership that included the Maidstone Cultural Group, Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council, and was supported by Arts Council England and Maidstone council.

The event took place in Mote Park. The free community festival has been running each year since 2003.