YORK buzzed to the beat of carnival time yesterday as thousands lined the city pavements to witness a major Millennium spectacular.

York Carnival 2000 - the Lord Mayor's Parade - was a vibrant, colourful, good-natured affair which saw 47 groups or organisations taking part.

It had all the excitement of Rio - but 20 degrees cooler.

Despite black skies, the city was alive to the sights and sounds of fun.

There was something for everyone, with steel bands, jugglers and a variety of entertainment at various points along the carnival route.

It came hot on the heels of a host of events on Saturday as Let's Party fever gripped the York area - and helped raise money for the St Leonard's Hospice appeal.

All around the city there were street parties, family fun days and a mass of weird and wonderful events all specifically designed for people to have fun and help a very worthy cause.

None of it happened by chance, of course. Let's Party and York Carnival 2000 had been carefully planned for over a year.

Much hard work went into encouraging and cajoling people into holding parties or joining the big parade.

A warm thank you must go to everyone who played their part in making the weekend a spectacular success.