THE Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts and the Cheshire cat will be taking over the streets of South Bank in Middlesbrough this weekend.

The area's annual multi-cultural carnival will take place on Saturday, with charities, schools, businesses and residents joining in the celebrations.

The theme of this year's event is Alice in Wonderland, and the organisers hope that the whole community will get involved in a massive parade through the area.

There will be prizes throughout the day, including trophies for the best dressed and most comical float, and the most impressive costume.

Alan Swales, of the South Bank Community Forum, said: "Anyone who wants to make a difference is welcome to join in. You do not need a large lorry, all you need is an idea. You can come along with a tractor, a car or even on foot."

The parade will start in Redcar Road East at 10.45am after the initial judging has taken place.

The procession will then follow the Carnival Queen towards the Harcourt Road playing field where there will be a variety of attractions from noon.

Joining in the fun will be a strong man, stalls and amateur stunt team.

Anyone wanting to join in the parade should call (01642) 296000.