Organisers of Ilkley Carnival are promising the May Day event will be the town’s biggest ever and top the £12,000 raised last year for local good causes.

On Monday around 1,200 people will take part in a Yorkshire Tour-themed parade through the streets of Ilkley which will be lined with spectators waving yellow carnival flags sponsored by All Terrain Cycles.

The Ilkley Carnival committee is hoping to attract more than last year’s 10,000 visitors and is urging people to buy tickets early to save money and time.

The event, which upholds a 100-year tradition of an Ilkley May Day celebration, has paid out more than £90,000 to local good causes in the past 16 years.

Half of the profits raised from the carnival will go to LS29 Special Needs Support Group, with the remaining profits shared between charities and community organisations who help on the day.

Ilkley Carnival chairman Andrew Stacey said support for the carnival was at an all-time high with just under 30 groups and schools in this year’s parade, trade and charity stand bookings and 20 local shops taking part in the Yorkshire Tour window display initiative.

“The carnival has got a really positive feel and it’s this sort of momentum that will help us attract the crowds who can make a real difference to our beneficiaries – particularly LS29 Special Needs Support Group, a group of hard-working parents who help around 100 local families of children with special needs,” he said.

Advance tickets for Ilkley Carnival are £3 and £1 for children.