Maindee Festival Over Run With Aliens
This year's Maindee Festival has been taken over by aliens, space freaks and fleets of UFOs from the furthest reaches of the galaxy.
The annual music and carnival happening on tomorrow will see floats on an `out of this world' theme parade throughout Newport.
It starts at 12am in the old Fairoak School building on Church Road and takes in Hereford Street, Harrow Road, Eton Road, and Corporation Road before landing at the Newport Rugby Ground at 1pm.
A 25ft bubble-blowing silver rocket will lead the parade of giant aliens, other UFOs and, in keeping with Newport's musical past, a platoon of cyber punks-phazers are set to outrage.
Organisers estimate on past events that at least one thousand people will join in with the parade.
They will jump to the rhythms of Batatan, a Newport- based samba street drummer band, and RePercussioN, a samba posse from Powys. It's taken a large number of people from local schools and community groups just to get the parade ready, says organiser Andy O'Rourke.
"Last year's was amazing - but 2004 looks like being even better," he said.
"It's brilliant to watch, but why not get dressed up and hit the streets with us!"
The convoy of things from outer space will corral on ground beside Newport Rugby Club for an afternoon of music.
Admission to the site is free and you can expect a mix of world music, arts and dance, workshops, story telling, food and drink, DJs, MCs, breakdancers and market stalls.