VIDEO: Sun-filled thrills at Pill carnival

Residents lined the streets to watch dozens of stunning floats and costumes go by in the annual event, which was first held in 1974.

Unlike the past two years, when it has either rained or been overcast, the sun was shining, which organisers said made a big difference.

Ann Barton, one of the six volunteers which puts together the carnival, said: “It’s gone really well, it’s lovely. The weather has made such difference.”

Mrs Barton said they’d like to make the parade bigger next year.

“We’d like to see more floats taking part next year, but I’d still say it’s excellent,” she said.

The parade began at 1pm from the bottom of Alexandra Road and then continued into Commercial Road. It then went down Cardiff Road before finishing at Mendalgief Road.

After the parade, the celebration continued at Pill’s Millennium centre, where there were bouncy castles, music and food from all over the world.

With themes ranging from a pirate float to one in honour of the Rio Olympics and with music coming from bagpipes, brass bands and more, the parade had something for everyone.

Ten-year-old Katelyn Cook, from Corporation Road, went to the Pill Carnival with her grandmother and three brothers. She said: “It’s awesome. We’ve seen all the parade and we think the best one is the pirate float. It’s so clever.”

This year’s float competition was won by the Filipino-British Association in South Wales, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to integrate the Filipino community in Newport into the city.

Ariel Astrologia, the president of the association, said: “We’re tired now, but we’ve enjoyed it. It's excellent that we came first.

“It’s the first year we've taken part in the competition, but we’re so happy we decided to get involved.

“We have been preparing the float for about a week, but the lorry just arrived yesterday so it has been a bit of a rush. We’ll do it again.”

Eighty-year-old Billy Coughlan, from Pill, has been designing, painting and building the Royal Oak Pub float for more than 30 years.

This year, the pub’s float was pirate-themed and was in honour of Welsh pirate Henry Morgan.

“In my mind, we were still the best float,” he said. “I like doing the floats for the children, who don’t care if we win or we lose. They always enjoy it.”

Mr Coughlan, who lived in Pill all his life before moving to Maesglas two years ago, said the carnival is extremely important because it keeps the community together.

He said: “Pill has changed a lot in the last few years because people have moved to different parts of the city.

“However, the carnival is good because it brings everyone back together. I love Pill.”