Seeing pirates, footballers and the ancient Egyptians rub shoulders with one another is rare to say the least.

But that was not the case yesterday as hundreds of people lined the streets of Silloth for the the town’s annual carnival.

Visitors of all ages from across Cumbria joined many of the locals who had turned out to bask in the August sunshine for a day of fun and celebrations in what has become one of the main events on the county’s calendar.

Among them were members of the Dance Ranch, based in Whitehaven, whose costume inspiration had been taken from pop music over the decades. Sammy Moore, who was part of a group of five dressed as the Village People, said: “We come here every year. This year we’re doing music from different eras. We’re always made to feel so welcome in Silloth which is why we keep coming back.”

Taking on a much more modern theme were Emily and Sophie Graham, Lexi and Amber Hagan and Jemma Lambert, who made up the Silloth Emoji Crew. “It was the girls’ idea,” Emily and Sophie’s mum, Angela Graham, said. “We always do something every year and this is what they chose.

“This year the weather’s been really nice and it’s great that so many people have come out to be part of it.”

For Kelly Hillier, who was on board the float carrying the ancient Egyptians, preparations for this year’s carnival began many months ago. However, the group’s hard work paid off as they were named the best child group, best Silloth group and were runners-up as the most humorous float.

“We do something every year and we always start in the new year,” Kelly said. “We split the jobs up between all the parents and do a little bit each. We got the trailer on Thursday so it’s been a mad dash to make sure that everything fits on, but it’s worth it.”

One of the stars of the show was seven-year-old Keira Brown, who was named Carnival Queen. “It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “I like coming out and seeing everyone and spending time with friends.”

John Cook, Silloth’s deputy mayor and Allerdale councillor for the town, said he was delighted with how many people had lined the streets. “We’ve got good weather, which helps, but the carnival is something that’s definitely going from strength to strength every year,” he said.

“We’ve got the new committee in now as well which is really helping and it’s putting Silloth firmly on the map. It’s not just local people that come along but people travel from elsewhere to be part of it.”