A LAUNCH parade through the streets of Redcar and a party will kick off this year's Festival of Thrift as the event expands for 2018.

More than 45,000 visitors went to last year's festival at Kirkleatham Museum and this year the event will be taken right to the heart of Redcar town centre on the evening before it kicks off.

A Tees Valley-wide display of specially-commissioned artwork, Viewpoints, will also be on show in the run-up to the festival, located across the area on the theme of environmental sustainability.

Artists are currently being recruited with support from the Tees Valley Combined Authority, Redcar's Palace Arts and the modern art gallery in Middlesbrough, MIMA, with a deadline of March 19.

The launch parade and party, which will be a celebration of the culmination of months of community workshops, projects and activity in the run-up to the Festival, will take place on Friday, September 21 ahead of the event itself, which runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September.

It will start at Kirkleatham and taking waves of revellers into Redcar town centre and seafront.

Community and professional performers and musicians will take part in the parade, led by Middlesbrough-based Stellar Projects.

Cycling and pedal-powered activity will be the theme, with a return visit by Russian company Cardboardia, whose quirky creations were a popular feature with festival-goers at the 2017 event.

The parade will also showcase the Festival’s work with PROCESSIONS, a nationwide art project celebrating the centenary of the women’s vote, led by Artichoke who created Lumiere Durham and Lumiere London.

Festival of Thrift director, Stella Hall, said: “Announcing the expansion of this unique and amazing event is fantastic news and our visitors will be as thrilled about it as we all are in the Festival team.

“We will be announcing further details of the full programme over the next few months, with plenty of opportunities to get involved, so watch this space.”

The Festival organisers are currently also discussing opportunities for partnerships with the event with a range of organisations.

The Kirkleatham-based National Festival of Thrift offers a programme of things to make, do, see and share alongside a mix of stallholders selling artisan goods and locally-sourced food and drink.