Sunderland’s 2016 Frost Village had a warm reception, with figures showing double the visitor numbers of the previous year.
The village, which included an ice skating rink and a marquee housing a winter market, saw more than 30,000 people pass through the attractions during their run.
And that meant good news for city centre traders, with organisers Sunderland BID revealing that this led to a 10 per cent increase in footfall over the Christmas period.
The Bridges also reported a year of record sales over the Christmas period, with new retailers including Kiko, The Works and Footasylum performing exceptionally well.
Discussions are now underway for Christmas 2017, with the aim of building on the success of last year.