The full lowdown on this weekend's spectacular new Wigan Streets Apart Festival

Organised by The Old Courts, in partnership with Wigan Council and six other borough-based organisations, Streets Apart will bring together established artists from across Wigan and Greater Manchester.

Kicking off the celebrations is a parade which will fill the town centre’s streets with an explosion of colour and carnival vibes. Setting off from Mesnes Park at 1pm on Saturday July 8, it will feature community members of all ages. The audience can expect to see local dancers from WigLe Dance, Bom Ta Bom percussion band and local young people with specially decorated scooters, wheelchairs and skateboards.

The parade will also feature two giant puppets in Farrah the Fox, a 5m-tall mechanical puppet who will be rolling into Wigan on her scooter, and Frankie, a puppet designed by local young people and arts organisation known as Everyday.

Formerly known as Wigan STEAM, the organisation Everyday led sessions with over 50 young people to design Frankie to become a character who represents “a person like you and me”.

Spectators should head to Standishgate for the best spot to see the procession, where people can also enjoy stalls and activities as part of Wigan Rotary Club’s Community Day.

The celebrations will continue throughout the day on King Street, which will be transformed with flags, decorations, and an outdoor stage.

The afternoon will see a family-friendly programme packed with performance, activity and music. Highlights include hula-hoop artist Natasha Moonshine, fierce female dance artists Ghetto Fem, hand balancing act Only Wonderland, amazing dancers George and Cal and much more.

As we head into the evening, family activities will make way for music and dance, as King Street becomes its very own outdoor club with an artistic twist. Fierce dancers will perform alongside DJ sets from DJ Single Lady, SCAPA, Black Betty, DJ Jade Jaxson and more to be announced, while food and drink will be available for purchase form King Street businesses to consume on the street.

King Street businesses will be partnering with the festival, with premises licences extending during these hours to see King Street acting as one large outdoor venue.

Jonny Davenport, co-artistic director of The Old Courts, said: “We are delighted that Streets Apart Festival is finally here. A huge amount of time and work has gone into the planning of this event. It was important that the festival both connected with the town and showcased the cultural ambition that is becoming second nature in Wigan. There are a wide range of performers on the line up so we’re expecting a pretty memorable weekend!”

The parade is part of Hi! Street Fest, a national project led by Emergency Exit Arts and Historic England in partnership with six towns across the country, who are all welcoming Farrah to Fox to their place.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “We know that cultural events on our high streets increase a sense of pride in local places, encourage people to visit their high streets and connect with their local community. That’s why these projects are so crucial. A giant fox on a scooter visiting six locally created puppets to celebrate the identity and history of high streets is not something to be missed!”

Sunday’s programme will be more relaxed, with performances from Wigan Little Theatre, Everything Human Rights, The Music Projects, Louise Fazacerkley and many more.

Guided tours will also run on King Street throughout the day on Sunday, led by members of Wigan local history and Heritage Society. Additionally, the award-winning ThickSkin will premiere a special Wigan edition of their location-based audio series This Is Where We Begin.