A FRUGAL festival is expected to attract more than 40,000 visitors to the region this weekend for an annual celebration of living sustainably in style.

Redcar will host its second Festival of Thrift after organisers secured double the funding for the event following three years of the creative carnival being held in its birthplace of Darlington.

More than 130 stalls, workshops and performances will be set up and staged at Kirkleatham Museum and Grounds on Saturday and Sunday to explore the art of upcycling, craftwork and the art of reusing and getting creative.

Tree-top acrobats, den-building, seed swaps and live music are among the programme attractions for the 2017 festival, as well as thrifty fashion shows and naming ceremonies for children.

Pop-up campervan restaurants and opportunities to invest in original artworks from North-East artists or upcycled artefacts from dozens of stallholders will also be spread across the festival site, divided into ten zones.

Festival organiser, Stella Hall, said: “Working with local and national artists and makers, community foundations and businesses, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and local residents, schools and churches we head back to Kirkleatham this year to celebrate our fifth birthday.

“As the UK’s first large-scale Festival of sustainable living – upcycling, making, learning and saving money – we are building a creative community where the whole family can get together to share skills and knowledge.

"This year we are focussing more on the great outdoors – growing, cooking and building so come and join us."

The festival has earned several awards since its launch, including the Best Event Teesside, a gold North-East Tourism Event of the Year Award and an Observer Ethical Award for Arts and Culture.

Festivities begin at 10.15am on Saturday and Sunday, before ending at 5pm – with events starting on the hour and at 15 minute intervals.

The site can be accessed on foot, by car, bike or public transport, and admission is free, however parking is £5.