A BUMPER crowd of nearly 6,000 people turned out for Highcliffe Carnival.

Organisers said the second year of having a gift fair along with the music and procession helped to create a festive atmosphere along Lymington Road and in the grounds of Hoburne Holiday Park .

The 'showtime' themed procession included a Mary Poppins and lorries with the themes of the West End shows Grease and Stomp.

See all our pictures from Highcliffe Carnival in a gallery

Annie Reed, carnival committee chairman, thanked sponsors and fellow volunteers and said it had been the biggest crowd she had known at the event.

She said; “We had lots of entertainment to keep people amused and we were really pleased with how it went.”

The carnival on Saturday, December 14 included 38 exhibitors for the gift fair and carnival committee member Jeanette Lovelock was delighted the rain held off.

She said: “We had such a mixture of stalls and the exhibitors got into the swing of things by decorating their stalls with tinsel and lights.”

The stalls were run by people from across Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with spices and chutneys, hampers and other gifts on offer.

The children's entertainment included a Punch and Judy, a magician and a craft stall for them to make and take away their own creations.

The live music included the Swing Unlimited Community Big Band and the female singing duo The Songbirds.

The procession also included the Highcliffe Charity Players as the show Annie, the Ringwood Pipe Band and Santa in his sleigh.

Mrs Lovelock added: “It went really well and there were a lot of happy faces.”

The beneficiary of this year's donations will be the Highcliffe Junior Choir.