How you can help cheer the Queen's Baton Relay through Great Yarmouth

Now further details have been revealed of how you can join in a day of carnival and fun to mark the event on Saturday, 9 July.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith said: "It is a great honour for us to host the Queen's Baton Relay and we want to encourage everyone to come and take part in this spectacular celebration of the spirit of the Commonwealth Games.

"As well as the baton relay itself there will be lots of free entertainment and activities along the route, and with the Great Yarmouth Arts Festival in full swing as well it should make a great day out for the whole family."

The baton will arrive from its previous stop in King's Lynn at around 10am and be received by the Mayor of Great Yarmouth Cllr Graham Plant at the Venetian Waterways on North Drive. Great Yarmouth Brass will also be on hand to provide a unique musical reception.

The spectacular gardens and canals were reopened in 2019 after a £2.7m restoration, and are a great place to walk and relax, or even take a spin on the boating lake.

Four batonbearers, each chosen for their personal stories or contribution to their communities will then take the baton on its journey. The first batonbearer will wind their way through the gardens before journeying along the seafront to the legendary Joyland family amusement park.

The centre is famous for its Snails mini-rollercoaster, but the torch procession will need to keep moving at a faster pace as it continue its journey along the coast.

The next stop will be at the £26m new Marina Centre, which is due to open in August and will offer state-of-the-art health and fitness facilities to residents and visitors alike, perhaps creating to create a Commonwealth Games star of the future.

The baton will be welcomed to the centre by deputy mayor Cllr Penny Carpenter, alongside demonstrations of beach sports from Active Norfolk and circus skills from Out There Art's Drillaz Circus School.

The baton will then continue along the seafront to the SeaLife Centre and the unmissable Giant Wheel. The large Ferris wheel offers stunning views across the seafront and the town from up to 50m high.

Mayor Plant will then formally wave goodbye to the baton of behalf the borough at around 10.45am, as it departs for Bury St Edmunds and the rest of its tour through England.

The entertainment in Great Yarmouth doesn't stop however, with the Great Yarmouth Arts Festival carnival taking place later the same afternoon.

The colourful procession will gather at Anchor Gardens on Marine Parade, with its route starting at midday. The parade will pass up Regent Road, through the Market Place and along King Street to St George's Theatre where there will be music and dancing on the Plaza. The procession will be led by the DixieMix Jazz Band along with music from other groups during the course of the parade.

Other events taking place on the Saturday as part of the Arts Festival include the free Art In The Minster exhibition at Great Yarmouth Minster from 10am to 4pm; a Carnival doll trail with 30 dolls dotted around various shops and buildings around Great Yarmouth; and a community talent show at St George's Theatre from 7.30pm.