This year's Hat Fair is officially underway and it began with a brilliant carnival full of music and colour. 

The arts festival will take over the city centre on June 30 and July 1, with street performers entertaining the crowds. 

The Carnival began with an explosion of colour outside Winchester Cathedral at 1pm on Friday, June 30. 

Local school groups were joined by community groups as they paraded through the city centre. 

Take a look at our gallery above for all the best photographs. 

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the Winchester Hat Fair

Before the festival, Andrew Loretto, Hat Fair director, sat down with The Hampshire Chronicle. 

He said: “One of the things I was very clear about was - yes it’s a slightly smaller footprint in the city centre on the Friday and the Saturday and we’re not doing the Sunday – was to keep the range and the quality and the diversity of the work.

"That was really important to me that we absolutely have a cast iron commitment to our local communities and to engaging those voices that we should be celebrating from all of our communities.

"It is important that people coming to the Hat Fair, feel like it is the Hat Fair."