Carlisle's celebrations to mark 1,900 years since Hadrian became the ruler of the Roman Empire will be among the highlights of 2017 for the city's council leader.

Bitts Park will be transformed into a Roman battlefield to host a major reenactment in July.

The turma - or troop - reenactment will be one of the largest the UK has ever seen.

Bitts Park edges on to nearby Stanwix, which was once the largest fort located along the Roman Empire's most northern frontier.

Councillor Colin Glover, leader of Carlisle City Council, said: "The turma is going to come and show off its cavalry skills in Bitts Park.

"There will be 30 cavalrymen coming and the event is just one of a series of things taking place over the course of the six months right across the length of the wall.

"This is something we had to compete for. There were others who wanted to host the turma but they thought that Bitts Park was a natural amphitheatre.

"What a coup for the city. Stanwix was also home to a major cavalry unit in Roman times."

The reenactment event - on July 1 and 2 – is being staged in conjunction with a major new wall-wide exhibition celebrating the regiments that once guarded the frontier.

Its backers are confident it will help lure more tourists to the frontier and boost the area’s economy.

"Hadrian’s Cavalry" explores the role and daily life of the Roman army’s cavalry forces in events and exhibitions that will stretch the full 150 miles of the World Heritage Site area – from Maryport in the west to South Shields in the east.

Ten museums are working together on the scheme which will bring together a unique collection of cavalry objects, including ornate helmets, armour and weapons on loan from national and international museums.

The main funder of Hadrian’s Cavalry is the Arts Council England’s Museum Resilience Fund.

Tullie House is hosting one of the largest exhibitions planned along the wall route between April and September 2017.

It will include decorated plate armour, helmets and other artifacts, some of which have never been on display before.

Work on the Hadrian's Cavalry project has been at least a year in the planning, Mr Glover said.

"The turma is going to be a tremendous event and be one of the highlights of the year," the council leader added.

Andrew Mackay, director of Tullie House, said: "We will focus specifically on cavalry in Carlisle and Stanwix. For the first time unique helmets, armour and weapons of international importance will be seen together in the location where they would once have been a common sight.

"To help explain the role of the Roman cavalry and significance of Carlisle a special film has been commissioned and will be shown at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery as part of the exhibition."

He added: "We’re also proud to be hosting one of the largest Roman Cavalry re-enactments ever seen in the UK here in Carlisle in July. Bitts Park will see a turma of 30 Roman cavalrymen come together for the first time in almost 2,000 years."

Further discussions about the council's involvement are set to take place in January.

Senhouse Roman Museum in Maryport will also be supporting the showcase.