THOUSANDS of spectators are expected at the 46th annual Taunton Carnival, which sets off from its new Canal Road start point at 7pm on Saturday.

The Dolphin Marchin Band will lead the 80-item cavalcade of floats and walking entries along Station Road, Bridge Street, North Street, Fore Street, East Street, East Reach, Chritchard Way, Priory Avenue and Priory Bridge Road back to Canal Road, with a rest area in East Reach.

Before the main event, a parade of Harley Davidsons will be driven around the route.

In the morning, historic vehicles, Harleys and VW show cars will process through the town centre, parking outside the Market House, with Miss Taunton, Kelly Western, awarding the Spiller Trophy to ‘the most pleasing vehicle’.

The Denny Blackmore jazz band will play from 11.30am.

Entries for the Children’s Carnival meet at Belvedere Road car park at 1.30pm for judging by The Mayor, Miss Taunton and the Carnival Princess.

The procession, led by Wellington Majorettes, makes its way to Hammet Street at 2.30pm.

Roads in and around the town centre will be closed to traffic from 6.30pm, with diversions and no vehicles permitted to leave Canal Road, Albemarle Road, Belvedere Road, Haydon Road or Victoria Gate between 6.30pm and 9pm.

Marshalls along the two-mile route, supported by police and St John Ambulance, will ensure everything runs smoothly.

This year’s main charities are Stand Against Violence, formed after the murder of teenager Lloyd Fouracre; Taunton and West Somerset Magistrates’ Benchmark, which does project work with young people; and ASIST, which supports child adoption.

The procession will be headed by Carnival Queen Miss Taunton and Carnival Princess Bethany Giles, who won their titles in County Gazette-supported competitions.

Carnival committee chairman Marilyn House said: “We couldn’t put the show on without backing from the police, county highways and the district council.

“Each year brings its own challenges and each year everyone pulls together positively over several months to overcome them.

“Many clubs and individuals spend many hours to bring the spectacle to life on the night - I’d like to thank them and all the volunteers.

“Our aim is to give to our charities everything we collect on Saturday plus hopefully a little bit more.

“Costs go up every year for things like insurance, traffic management and health and safety.

“We fundraise during the year with the marathon and 10k road races to bring in the money to put on the procession.

“We’ve had sponsorship and support from lots of local companies over the years for many of our activities. Without them none of this would happen.”

For more information or to volunteer, contact Marilyn House on 01823-275241 (e-mail mail@marilynhouse.co.uk) or secretary, John Lewis on 01823-283892 (e-mail jsilewis@btinternet.com).