Actress Cat Bellamy, dressed as a representative of The Capitol, waves to fans of The Hunger Games on Westminster Bridge. Picture: Richard Chambury/Richfoto.com

London was turned into a friendlier version of the arena from The Hunger Games, complete with “tributes” taking part in a parade and parachutes containing “gifts” falling from the sky.

A futuristic black chariot travelled the route of the District Line as part of three days of celebrations to mark the release of the film on DVD and Blu-ray.

Telling the story of Katniss Everdeen, who is chosen to represent her district in the Hunger Games where teenagers battle to the death, the film is based on the first book in a popular teen trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

The horse-drawn chariot contained two fans who had made their own district costumes for the event, and was a nod to a scene in which Katniss and her male counterpart Peeta Mellark take part in a parade ahead of the Hunger Games.

The fans who took part in Friday’s event were 16-year-old Billie Anne Surrey from Stoke-on-Trent and 21-year-old Ibtisam Ahmed from Nottingham.

On Saturday 12 special parachutes were launched into the air around some of London’s best known landmarks, one representing each district in The Hunger Games. Cards attached to the parachutes contained instructions on how the finders could get prizes.

And on Sunday 12 HMV stores across the UK held live “reapings” - the terms given to the selection of tributes. Chosen fans had their names sent to the story in Oxford Circus, where Marcel Feller from Luton and Niall McKenna from Belfast were chosen to win tickets to the premiere of Chasing Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games is released on DVD and Blu-ray today.