It was an evening of sunshine and smiles as Dreamland re-opened its doors yesterday evening.

Floods of families flocked to the popular seaside attraction, which opened up at 5pm to start the fun.

With a new look, more rides, street food vendors and modern art installations following a £25 million investment, theme park fans had a lot to look forward to.

And they weren't disappointed, which was clear from the beaming faces and the vibrant atmosphere felt across the park.

For the little ones, it was an evening of exciting new adventures, but for older guests, it was a nostalgic throwback.

The mix of decades and vintage vibe went hand in hand perfectly with the park's heritage - having originally opened in 1920 and being a desired music venue outside of London for mods and rockers in the 1960s.

Park goers enjoyed the renovated historic rides, set against a backdrop of interactive art installation and an adventurous range of street food vendors, which were popular all night.

From the Scenic Railway to the Waltzer, the shrieks of happy children filled the air just as they have done for decades - the rides having been restored to their original glory.

Taking a break from the rides didn't just mean having a sit down, as the Roller Disco and arcades offered different kind of fun, featuring nostalgic tinted and present-day pleasures.

Music lovers soaked up the festival feel as Vintage Troubles brought their American rhythm and blues to the all new Scenic Stage.

Adults grabbed a drink from the sun-kissed Slide Bar, one of the park's new stylish-bars, and danced along to vintage tunes in the open air space.

But the highlight of the night came as the sun began to set, with one of the UK's most eminent artists turning on the iconic Dreamland lights.

Margate's very own Tracey Emin unveiled the restored Dreamland sign, but not with your usual number countdown.

Instead, she used the word Margate as a countdown calling out give me an 'm' and so forth.

To the crowds' delight, the sign lit up the seafront, wowing visitors.

Speaking after the switch on, she said: "I thought I was gong to start crying!

"Just the word Dreamland - it can't get better than that can it?

"I think Margate is changing. It's a place where young people want to come, young people want to live.

"We've got to get cheaper rail fares, that's what has got to happen. It's got to be subsidised. It has got to happen."

But things didn't go without a hitch on the grand opening evening, as a cart got trapped on a ride.

A cart got stuck on the popular Magic Mouse ride, and two engineers had to walk up and push start it.

The ride was temporarily closed but it was soon open again for further thrills and didn't put a dampener on the memorable evening.

Steven Mitchell, CEO at Dreamland said: "We said when we set out on this project that we wanted to make sure we had something that we'd be really proud of when we opened.

"As we went through the project we expanded our ambitions and we tried to make sure we were future proofing the park, so things like installing wifi across the park etc.

"I think for a long time Dreamland has been at the heart of Margate, it's physically a huge footprint and it's right by the beach, so that in itself is unique, not just in the area but almost across the country.

"We know that everyone locally has an affinity with Dreamland, everyone grow up through different eras coming to Dreamland."

Dreamland is free to enter and is now open for the whole of half term and weekends until July 21.

From then the park will be open for the whole of the summer through to September.

The inside areas are open all year round and include Roller Disco, Vintage Arcades and Octopus’ Garden.