Carnival season about to light up autumn in Devon

Sid Vale Carnival Club always likes to put on a spectacular float, or "cart", but is keeping this years' theme under wraps until Seaton

Devon carnival season is about to get under way with several brightly lit parades scheduled throughout the autumn.

Seaton hosts the first on Saturday followed by Colyton, Axminster, and Sidmouth, with Budleigh Salterton, Honiton, and Ottery St Mary during October.

The Sid Vale Carnival Club, based in east Devon, is preparing this years' "cart" and keeping their theme secret for now.

The float has been prepared and worked on for months and has cost about £15,000 to produce, containing more than 3,000 light bulbs.

Sid Vale Carnival Club chair Mark Gliddon

Mark Gliddon , chair of the Sid Vale Carnival Club , says it's a challenge to keep going year after year.

Their fundraising includes jumble sales, coffee mornings and bingo evenings "just to keep going with the diesel costs, the paint and the ply wood". However, they do recycle as much as they can from previous carts.

Club members will be working on the 2025 version right up until the last minute.

Mr Gliddon says he's "always happy to see the float finished, fully working and fully lit" at the first carnival. "I can then breathe a sigh of relief"