TODAY a town will throb to the beat of a festival march.

The Waterfoot Wakes Parade will start at noon from Bury and Rawtenstall Grammar School before heading down Booth Street and Burnley Road East ending at The Old Library Café. It celebrates Rossendale’s history

There will be an afternoon of free music on the play park stage featuring Wanda Roslyn, Cacophany Arkestra, Eve O’Riordan, Mento-B and the Jamaica Folk Ensemble and Dr Butler’s Hatstand Medicine Band.

There will be theatre performances all day including a new family show 'The Crow’s Tale' from String Theatre and Happy Campers 'Shoebox Circus'.

The day will end with a heritage cinema night showing North West Film Archive footage of the Wakes weeks and Bacup and Stacksteads Carnival before showing the classic film, Whistle Down The Wind.

Tomorrow's shows include 'The Flying Bath' by puppetry theatre Little Angel and Circus Raj outside The Old Library Café.

Alongside these events will be a host of family activities around The Boo Theatre, including Pirate Magic, Ukulele performances and workshops and an outdoor performance of Too Many Cooks by Hand Made Theatre.