A POPULAR event in Dorset is set to kick-off this weekend with a packed programme of family fun and entertainment.

Between Saturday July 30 and Saturday August 6, Swanage Carnival week will be taking place, with plenty to do for the whole family.

The annual event has faced cancellations in the past couple of years due to the pandemic, but organisers hope its return this year will be bigger and better than ever.

The Swanage Carnival procession will be in full swing on Sunday (July 31), following a 2.5mile route with decorated floats, dancers and marching bands. The well-loved headline event will follow a 'Once Upon a Time" theme.

Visitors can also enjoy impressive firework displays on Saturday July 30, Wednesday August 3 and Saturday August 6.

The rest of the week will be boasting a series of live music, sporting activities and family fun events, as well as returning acts such as Granny Tourismo- the world's first and only shopping trolley dance display team.

The festival will also welcome back The Black Eagles, a group of energetic acrobatic performers fresh from Glastonbury, and Bubblina and the Bubble Wizard and Circus Whizz, who will be providing family entertainment at various times throughout the week.

Plenty of new events are on the cards for the carnival, including two air displays where we see the iconic Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Rich Goodwin with his highly modified Pitts Special S2S, his 'Muscle Biplane' take to the skies.

Visitors will also have the chance to see dinosaurs brought to life as the towering creatures stalk the carnival showground.

Swanage Carnival remains a a self-funded organisation, run solely by volunteers.

In 2019, its volunteers helped raise over £28,800 which was distributed to 25 charities and good causes. The organisation has asked that members of the public help them to raise as much as possible for their 2022 benefiting organisations.

Visit the Swanage Carnival website to donate, pre order the event programme, and or find out more about the week's activities.