All the fun of Great Yarmouth Easter Fair is returning to the town centre – with about 100 rides and attractions over four action-packed days.

The seasonal extravaganza, which dates back centuries, is expected to draw thousands of people to the Market Place, Fuller's Hill and Brewery Plain car parks, between Thursday and Sunday.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is running the fair, in conjunction with the eastern counties branch of the Showmen's Guild.

Among the rides and attractions planned this year are dodgems, a bomber, a fun house, and a helter-skelter. There will also be other fairground attractions, including candy floss, toffee-apples and doughnuts.

The event will kick-off with 'Reduced Prices Rides Night', on Thursday, April 20, from 4pm through to 11pm.

Malcolm Bird, the mayor of Great Yarmouth borough, will officially open the fair from the dodgems in the Market Place at 4pm, when he will hand over the ceremonial Charter Key for the duration of the fair to representatives of the Showmen's Guild.

The gold-embossed ceramic Charter Key was made by Ernie Childs, of Great Yarmouth Potteries, in 2008 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Royal Charter granted to Great Yarmouth by King John in 1208.

The fair will continue on Friday and Saturday between 11am and 11pm, and on Sunday, April 23, between noon and 6pm.

Mr Bird said: 'The Great Yarmouth Easter Fair is a wonderful long-standing tradition which brings thousands of extra people into the borough and town centre over the already-busy Easter period.

'This annual extravaganza is a great way to mark Easter, the start of spring, and the start of the tourism season. It is a seasonal highlight in the borough's packed events calendar which I'm sure thousands of children look forward to every spring.

'I look forward to seeing hundreds of families having fun on the opening day.'

Market Place, Brewery Plain and Fuller's Hill car parks was closed from 3pm today to enable the event to be set up.

During the opening hours of the fair, there will be a temporary road closure on Fuller's Hill, at The Conge, down to where it joins Priory Plain.