Revellers will bring a little Magic of the Movies to the resort’s streets this weekend as its annual carnival is staged.

More than 20,000 people are expected to line the route of the procession as it winds its way through the town centre to the seafront, where the weekend’s activities will take place.

With two air shows, a fun fair, and plenty of live music, there will be lots for all the family to enjoy – and organisers are keeping fingers crossed for good weather to bring some of the biggest crowds on both days for years.

Carnival committee chairman Nick Barber said the switch to the seafront from the traditional venue of Langer Park had been “a tremendous success”.

He said: “It was a bold move for us last year to move from the long-standing venue of Langer Park. It took a massive amount of work and commitment from the hard-working committee to achieve it.”

Mr Barber is standing down as chairman after six years after this weekend’s event.

He said: “It has been a great honour to be at the forefront of the event and to see it build has been fantastic. The organisation is in a much better place now so we are well placed for the future and making the event even bigger.”

The big parade sets off at 1pm on Saturday down Beatrice Avenue and through Hamilton Road, turning right into Orwell Road, and then heads for the seafront.

On Saturday there will be an air show over the seafront at 5pm featuring the three-formation Red Sparrows, Maurice Hammond in his P51 Mustang, and a Yak 52 and Harvard.

Yak 52 pilot Nigel Willson, a flying instructor and examiner, has organised the air show this year and will be flying in formation with the Harvard, piloted by Dale Featherby. The Harvard, built in 1943, has only just been restored and this will be one of its first displays since gaining its airworthiness certificate.

The second air display is at 2.30pm on Sunday and will feature the Trigs, the Pitts Special and the Gnats Formation.

Lauren Richardson, 27, pilots the Pitts Special and, in her fifth season flying aerobatics, is already one of the top acrobatic pilots in the country, while Richard Grace and Dave Puleston will be flying the Trigs in an exciting close formation display.

Two Gnats jets from the large team based at North Weald Airfield will perform a pairs formation display.

The main stage for the music will be near Ocean Boulevard and the second stage will be on the grass at the bottom of Bent Hill.

A wide range of music has been booked – from samba to brass bands, choir to rock.

The carnival needs “bucketeers” to stand with buckets at key points at peak times and collect donations – contact the committee via www.felixstowecarnival.org if you can help.