4:10pm Monday 24th August 2009 MUSIC blared, young and old danced and fireworks exploded as Southend celebrated another successful carnival.
More than 60 teams of floats, troupes, trikes and singers jived their way along Western Esplanade on Saturday, competing to be kings and queens of the carnival. Entrants came from the host town, as well as nearby Rochford, Rayleigh and Basildon, while others came from as far afield as Luton and Peterbrough. Many were decked out in fancy dress, from superheroes and fairytale characters to retro 1950s hipsters and Rio-style carnival dancers. Southend mayor Brian Smith captured the spirit of the partygoers as he tried to sum up the carnival.
He said: