THE launch of a traditional community festival will feature colurful creatures this year.

Spectacular puppets created by local youngsters, backed by the Busy Ape Arts group, will provide a colourful feature of next Friday's Houghton Feast opening ceremony in Houghton-le-Spring, east Durham.

Busy Ape Arts is a team of artists who promote and encourage creative thoughts, words and action through artforms.

They were recruited by feast organisers to team up with local children, including St Michael's RC Primary School, in Old Durham Road, to help brighten the ceremony.

Each puppet will take the character of a typical person who might have attended or entertained at Houghton Feast over its history, believed to date from medieval times.

Characters include clowns, chefs, flower-sellers, miners and dancing bears, and will form part of the spectacular procession of "magical glowing" puppets.

The illuminated puppet parade, starting from Houghton Kepier School, in Dairy Lane, will end in front of crowds outside the parish church of St Michael and All Angels, in the Broadway.

Feast arts co-ordinator Val Craggs said: "I hope it helps to encourage visitors to come along on a dark October evening to witness a visually stunning procession, backed by a fantastic sound and light show to mark the beginning of a week-long programme of community events."

The ceremony will start at 7pm on Friday, with the annual feast carnival parade the following afternoon, from 2.30pm.

Another feast tradition, the ox-roast, will take place on Monday, October 11, from 4pm on the Rectory Field, followed by a free fireworks display at Durham Road Playing Fields, starting at 7.30pm.

Full details of the feast launch are available from Houghton Library and Learning Centre, on 0191-553 6475.

Published: 01/10/2004