I'm a Celeb star and singing sensation, Peter Andre, lit up Redditch town centre last weekend in an event full of unforgettable entertainment. 

Thousands of people gathered to witness the pop superstar switch on the Christmas lights in an event hailed a huge success by Redditch BID after the celebrity attracted record-breaking crowds. 

This year’s event exceeded all expectations according to the organisers with more than 9,000 people filling the town centre on Saturday (November 25). 

BID manager, Muj Rahman, said: “I was simply left speechless with the overwhelming turnout to celebrate the highly anticipated Redditch Christmas light switch-on event.

“This was the biggest event Redditch BID have ever organised as our efforts to promote Redditch as a key destination in Worcestershire continue. I believe it was a great step forward with this event.”

The town came alive with excitement as families, friends and individuals of all ages came together to watch community choirs and dance performances with a special show to round off the evening from Peter Andre himself.

A household name and beloved artist, he delighted the audience with a performance that added an extra sparkle to the evening's festivities and included his smash hit Mysterious Girl.

Earlier in the day, the queues were also building to catch the singer in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre for a meet and greet where he took photos and signed CDs and calendars for fans.

One fan, Julia Laight, said: "I had a brilliant day. Well done Redditch BID. First I got to meet Peter Andre and then I watched him perform. It was the best day ever."

Another fan, Jessica Woodcock, added: "My dream has come true."

Dubbed the ‘Peter Andre effect’, there has also been an overwhelmingly positive response from businesses in the town about the number of visitors the event helped attract into the town.

General manager of the Kingfisher Centre, Adrian Field, also said: “The feedback that we have had from businesses we have spoken to since the event has been extremely positive.

“We had a 53 percent increase in footfall on Saturday compared to the previous week when we had Titan the Robot in the centre, and the number of people in the centre was 9.6 percent up on the same Christmas light switch-on event last year.

“The Peter Andre effect definitely drew people in and Redditch BID and partners did a great job in ensuring that there were a lot of happy memories for the public and businesses.”