Mayor John Dal Broi, who will be switching on the city’s lights, is excited to see the town light up and looks forward to the festive atmosphere in the lead up to Christmas.

"Some locals have put up wonderful Christmas light displays in previous years and we hope by encouraging more Christmas lights and offering a prize for the best visual display, it will encourage people to go that step further with their lights,” Cr Dal Broi said.

Rotary Carnival organiser Ross Grillo said Friday’s carnival is gearing up to be one of the biggest carnivals in the events 50-year history and will have something for everyone.

Starting at 5.30pm, the carnival will have all the favourites including face painting, jumping castle, live entertainment, plenty of hams to give away and a visit from Santa at 7.30pm.