Tonight will see Truro lit up ready for Christmas as the festive lights switch on combines with the annual City of Lights procession.

At 7pm today, Wednesday, dozens of glowing paper lanterns will slowly parade through the city's streets.

The handmade lanterns have been carefully created over the past weeks by schools, colleges, clubs and universities in the area.

To mark the 50th anniversary year of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, this year's theme is 'wildlife.'

The procession starts from the junction of Moresk Road and St Clements Street, moving up to Pydar Street, left along Union Street and down Castle Street.

There will be a five-minute pause at The Leats on Castle Street before the procession moves on into River Street and then St Nicholas Street.

There will be another five-minute pause point on St Nicholas Street before moving into Boscawen Street and through to Princes Street.

There is another pause in Princes Street and onto Green Street and into Lemon Quay, where the city's Christmas lights display will be officially switched on.

There will also be music and dancing from Truro School of Samba.

Roads around the city will be closed from 4pm and people are encouraged to use the park and ride.

It is believed to be the only evening event in Cornwall that draws a 25,000-strong crowd.

The 2011 parade has been sponsored by Seasalt Truro, which is celebrating its tenth birthday this month.

The store has been on Duke Street for the last ten years, opening its doors mid 2001 as a sale shop to Seasalt's former name, Wildlife, and eventually reopening as Seasalt in spring 2007.