Back in the Roaring Twenties, carnivals weren't always just a summer tradition.

In December 1922, Southend hosted a huge Christmas Shopping Carnival which was hailed as a "splendid show" by traders, shoppers and residents. The festive event was a huge deal.

 

As the parade made its way through Southend and Leigh, crowds gathered en masse to cheer and wave.

 

Local schoolchildren, distracted by the spectacle, were late for their afternoon classes (but as it was Christmas they were let off) and the carnival brought a much needed boost to the town.

 

The Southend Pictorial newspaper reported how "shopkeepers responded to the call and rolled up in good numbers in vehicles of two or four wheels to take part in the procession."

 

The parade featured merry mummers, Dick Turpin and Three Musketeer skits and 'bonny babies' while businesses and shops went all out to decorate their establishments- creating some fantastic displays.

 

A traditional village smithy was even created in one part of town and at the Rivoli cinema in Southend an artistic tableau depicting the 'freedom of 1922" was displayed.