Next year’s Dickens Festival will only be a two-day celebration, it has been announced.

The event, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Rochester, has also been moved to coincide with half-term.

Usually the festival is a three-day celebration, with the Friday as children’s day, with parades and competitions especially for school children.

There is usually a mix of street entertainment, readings, costumed characters and parades, and the High Street is filled with people of all ages wearing their best Victorian and Dickensian costumes.

A Medway Council spokesman said: “Each year we hold a public meeting with stall holders, local traders and other stakeholders to get their views on how the Dickens Festival went.

“Following feedback from the meeting in July, and taking into consideration the views from as wide a range as possible, we have decided to revert to the half-term week and make better use of the resources available by moving the event to a two-day festival.”

The Dickens Festival will be held on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3 next year.