It is the biggest party on Norwich's calendar and now the Lord Mayor's Celebration is finally upon us.
The three-day bonanza of entertainment got underway yesterday evening with the ever-popular Gas Hill Gasp hill climb cycle race, and Lost in Translation Circus acrobats amazed an audience with death-defying stunts at a show in front of City Hall.
The action is set to kick into a higher gear today, building to a dazzling crescendo with fireworks over Norwich Castle at 10.30pm.
Lord Mayor, councillor David Fullman, it the celebration was a chance to show off the Fine City and showcase the welcoming spirit of its residents - the theme for the event is 'Welcome to Norwich'.
He said: 'I'm looking forward to meeting as many people as possible and making it special for them, and, of course, leading the procession.
'Norwich always has been a welcoming city and we should recognise and celebrate that.'
Mr Fullman said the celebration would also highlight this year's Lord Mayor's charities, which this year come under the umbrella of the Norwich Integration Partnership.
He said: 'The charities involved help newcomers, including refugees and asylum seekers, integrate and build a new life in the city.'
David Walker, the Sheriff of Norwich, called the celebration a 'joyous occasion'.
He said: 'It's about tradition and it's about people having fun.
'In an era when a lot of amusement is online and impersonal, this is about getting together out on the street and enjoying something as a community and seeing the diversity and richness of what's going on Norwich.'
Among the event's new additions for 2017 is a 'Come Yew In' performance commissioned for the 700th anniversary of the Freemen of Norwich, celebrating the history and experience of strangers in the city.
The show was on last night at Castle Gardens and there will be further performances today at 1pm and tomorrow at 2.30pm.
Norwich City Council expects around 45,000 people will flock to the celebration, which has been a part of the city for 350 years.
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