THE Jorvik Viking Festival ended with a bang as hundreds of warriors marched through the city centre to stage a battle at the Eye of York, before a spectacular fireworks display lit up the skies over Clifford’s Tower last night.

Organisers of the festival declared it a huge success, saying tens of thousands of visitors to York had joined in the celebrations of the city’s Norse heritage.

“This year’s festival has enabled us to tell a story of war and peace,” said spokesman Paul Whiting.

“The festival events have been focused on the Viking invasion of York in AD866, whilst the newly re-imagined Jorvik Viking Centre has shown how these mighty warriors settled here, living a comparatively peaceful existence for the next 200 years.

"Keys events, from concerts to the Viking feast and the grand finale event sold out weeks ago, and the myriad free activities – especially the encampment – have been busy all week.

“We will not know the full visitor figures for a little while, but it certainly felt busier than ever before for the march through the city.”

Whilst the main public events ended on Saturday night, many of the country’s leading Viking academics and scholars gathered today (Sunday, February 18) for the Richard Hall Symposium, which looked at Viking beliefs and rituals.