A GEODESIC space-age dome containing a wrap around 360 degree cinema is the futuristic focus of a major town centre street fair today.

The five-metre high structure, built yesterday, is in front of Blackburn Town Hall as the centrepiece of the first of series of festivals for shoppers and visitors.

It launches Blackburn Business Improvement District’s summer Street Fairs 2017.

The futuristic dome will host shows at regular audio visual presentations all day.

The first, ‘Audio Sonic Vision’ is a digitally animated planetarium show featuring music from The Constellation Collective.

The second ‘We Are Aliens!’ is a high-tech show narrated by Rupert Grint, famous as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, and created specially by The National Space Centre

There will also a traditional bandstand featuring performances throughout the day including local favourites Blowjangles and acoustic duo Odall.

Town Hall Street will be filled with stalls and entertainment including a display of owls and hawks, children’s rides, face painting, henna hand painting and food.

Blackburn Market will host a free ‘Kids’ Concert’ in Ainsworth Street featuring Katy Ashworth from BBC’s CBeebies “I Can Cook” at 3.30pm including singing prince sand princesses, Stuffets Puppets and the incredible skills of balloon modeller Bob Wooding, magic shows and quizzes.

Harriet Roberts, manager of the Blackburn BID said: “This is the first of our 2017 street fairs in the Town Hall Street area of the town.

“We are staging the street fairs to encourage visitors to discover more of the town and also extend their stay with the free entertainment.”

Today’s Street Fair runs from 10am to 5pm with 360° Dome Cinema shows every half hour from 10am with the last performance at 4pm. The bandstand will host performers from 11.30am to 4pm.

The other Summer Street Fairs are on July 15 and September 30 will be a repeat of the giant Christmas street fair on Saturday 9th December 9 will spreading across the whole town.

Cllr Phil Riley, Blackburn with Darwen Council regeneration boss, said: “Our aim is to have events every weekend to bring shoppers and visitors into the town.

“This fair with its space-age dome near the historic town hall and ‘The Making Rooms’ with fablab combine the borough’s past and future perfectly.”

Joe Wilkinson from Jellyfishmoon,said the dome was headed for a summer festival in Iceland shortly.