From wet suits to wacky costumes – tens of thousands of people took to the seafront for the annual Paddle Round The Pier festival.

A right royal raft including Kate and Wills, a flock of Seagulls and a team of terrified Teletubbies were among dozens who created vessels for a special voyage onto the sea.

The Paddle Something Unusual event was one of the highlights of the weekend’s free festivities which took place on Hove Lawns.

With the sun blazing down on revellers, organisers believe up to 60,000 people were attracted to the internationally- famous event, which first took place in 1996.

It is hoped that thousands of pounds was raised for the event’s nominated charities: the RNLI, Winston’s Wish – a charity for bereaved children – and Surf Aid, which supports ex-service personnel.

Kate Standing, 24, Hannah Mold, 23, and Angeline Elliott , 25, all of North Laine, were out enjoying the weekend’s events.

Hannah said: “It was such a good two days. The sun was shining and everyone was having a great time.”

Kate said: “There was such a fantastic atmosphere on both days and a real community feel.”

Angeline added: “There was so much going on other than the paddling as well which was great.”

Rachel Williams and Jamie Sullivan, both 25 and from St Albans, were also impressed by the paddling event.

Jamie said: “The weather was so nice on Saturday that we decided to come to Brighton to enjoy the beach on Sunday.

“We sort of stumbled across the Paddle Round The Pier but had a really fun time.”

The Argus:

A host of water based events and races formed the crux of the weekend’s fun.

This included team races on paddleboards over distances of up to 14 miles, guided swims and kitesurfing.

For those that did not want to get their feet wet, the land festival include a man-made beach for foot tennis and fairground rides A pirate party, muscle beach, a music stage, dog show and hundreds of stalls took over Hove Lawns.