Bumper crowd expected for Leamington Carnival

The festival part of the event, which takes place at the Pump Room Gardens, will start at 11am and include a fun fair, more than 60 stalls and entertainment from Fresh Radio.

The parade will start at noon with floats following a new route starting at the Campion Hills and proceeding along Leicester Street onto Clarendon Avenue and then into the Parade and featuring drummers, dancers, colourful costumes, and live bands.

There will be a prize of £200 for the best looking float.

The organisers have said: “This is people’s chance to be part of one of Leamington’s largest community events, celebrating the town’s diversity, creativity and energy while supporting local charitable organisations.”

The town’s carnival was first held in the early 1900s in its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s it would draw crowds of more than 50,000 people.

The carnival was brought back as an event in 2014 after a hiatus which started in 1998.

The event was cancelled for 2015 after the organisers struggled to recruit enough volunteers to help out.

But it made another comeback in 2016 despite fears that a procession might not be included.

The event costs about £6,000 and requires the backing of businesses and organisations to go ahead.

It also raises money for good causes in and around Leamington with collections taking place during the procession.