Organisers of the festival, to be held in Dunedin from July 20 to 26, have partnered with various charitable organisations to bring joy to the region's residents.
Dunedin 12-year-old Jayden Chaplin and his family will be among them.
Jayden will have his wish granted by Make-A-Wish New Zealand from money raised through the Cadbury Jaffa Race.
Announcing the carnival programme in Dunedin last night, Cadbury World events manager Kylie Ruwhiu-Karawana said it was the first time Make-A-Wish had been associated with the annual event, in which 50,000 Jaffas were raced down Baldwin St.
''Last year, Make-A-Wish made over 200 wishes come true by granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. They have found a Dunedin family and he [Jayden] will be starting the Jaffa race on the day.
''He will be our ambassador for that day and proceeds raised will go towards granting his wish and the wishes of other Otago children,'' Mrs Ruwhiu-Karawana said.
The carnival has generated more than $500,000 for its charity partners, which this year also include Parent Centre New Zealand and Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women's Refuge.
A motorhome emblazoned with carnival imagery will tour the lower South Island in coming weeks to promote the carnival.
It will stop at 15 Four Square supermarkets from Christchurch south, where fundraising events will generate money for charities in those areas.
''A lot of the smaller communities are now starting to see the joy that the carnival brings,'' Mrs Ruwhiu-Karawana said.
This year, a Dunedin-wide adventure race returns as part of the carnival programme, in conjunction with CCS Disability Action Otago.
The chocolate couture design competition and show had also been expanded to include a category for Dunedin fashion students, and would feature guest judges Margo Barton and Margi Robertson.
A portal to Joyville will be established in the Meridian mall, where Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull will meet his Cadbury counterpart and other Joyvillians, alongside a liquid chocolate fountain.
More than 47,000 people attended carnival events in Dunedin last year.
