A fleet of historic buses will take to Douglas Promenade this weekend as Bus Vannin celebrates 50 years since the nationalisation of the island’s bus services.

The Grand Cavalcade will take place on Saturday, August 1, bringing together preserved vehicles from the Jurby Transport Museum alongside modern buses for a day celebrating the evolution of public transport on the Isle of Man.

The event will begin at 12.30pm, when the cavalcade will set off from Sea Cliff Road in Onchan before travelling along Douglas Promenade to the War Memorial on Harris Promenade.

Members of the public will then have the chance to view the vehicles up close, with the display opening at 1.30pm on the walkway next to the War Memorial.

The event is free to attend and visitors will also be able to experience a piece of transport history for themselves, with free heritage bus shuttle loops running around Douglas between 2pm and 4.30pm.

The shuttle services will depart every 30 minutes at 2pm, 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm and 4.30pm, offering passengers the chance to travel on historic vehicles from a bygone era.

While the rides are free, donations to the Jurby Transport Museum are being encouraged to help cover the costs of operating the heritage services.

Bus Vannin said the celebration will provide an opportunity to look back at the development of the island’s bus network over the past five decades.

To allow the event to take place safely, temporary road closures and parking restrictions will be introduced.

The Douglas Promenade walkway will be closed from midday until 6pm, from opposite the Gaiety Theatre to opposite Howard Street.

A no-parking restriction will also be in place on the seaward side of Sea Cliff Road in Onchan between its northern and southern junctions with King Edward Road from 9am until 1pm.