Two days of carnival fun will be coming to Beccles this weekend.
The entertainment kicks off on Saturday, August 19, at Beccles Quay with the grand opening at 1pm by Miss Beccles Samantha Chapman and her prince and princess attendants Josh Brabben, Esme Jermany and Lily Gordon.
The afternoon will see an arena display from Norwich-based Stagecoach at 1.15pm, fun and games with the carnival team at 2.30pm and a series of competitions to enter.
These include the annual fancy dress competition, with registration running from 1pm to 1.30pm and the Beccles baby competition which will take place at 2.30pm and is open to children up to five-years-old.
The fancy dress competition, open to children up to 14, will be judged at 1.45pm, with prizes sponsored by RPC M&H Plastics of Beccles.
Application forms for all of the competitions are available in the carnival programme which can be purchased on arrival.
Next up in the arena will be the Kessingland amateur dramatics group at 3.45pm, followed by children and adult races at 4pm, and a fun dog show at 4.30pm, with a range of classes and prizes.
Saturday evening will see the return of Beccles Quay Rocks, kicking off at 6pm with The Fortunate Sons. They will be followed by Stereotypes and headlining the event will be Catch Twenty-Two. The new fun zone, stalls and a beer tent will also be open during the evening.
Then on Sunday, August 20, more than 50 entries will weave through the town in the carnival parade, leaving Roys of Beccles car park via Gosford Road at 1pm. The parade will make its way up Station Road and through the town centre, down Saltgate and Northgate, ending at the quay.
Spectators are encouraged to drop donations into the buckets along the route, with proceeds going towards the cost of staging the event.
After the parade there will displays and entertainment at the quay including the Waggy Tail's dog display team, the Samba Band and belly dancers.
The Beccles Quay footbridge will be closed from 1pm to 3pm due to overcrowding in previous years, and will only be used for pushchairs and disabled access.
The quay will be accessed through a designated walkway at the main car park entrance.
Miss Beccles and her attendances will also be selling raffle tickets throughout the weekend, with money raised going to their chosen charities for 2017 - Beccles Lido, Beccles Children's Home and Beccles Hospital.
Beccles Carnival Programmes are on sale now at Saxons of Beccles, Beccles Books and The Butchers Arms pub.
Entry to the carnival weekend is £1 per adult with accompanied children free.
For more details visit www.becclescarnival.co.uk
•In last week's paper, we incorrectly reported that there will be stalls in the town during Beccles Carnival. In fact, all of the stalls at this year's carnival will be at Beccles Quay. We apologise for any confusion caused.
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