FINAL preparations are being made for tomorrow's Orange Darlington Festival Lantern Parade.

This year's parade, based on a circus theme, will be the third and final event of the Orange Darlington Festival.

There will be plenty to entertain people in the town centre while they wait for the lantern parade to start.

From 3.30pm people will be entertained by Mini Mansell on his unicycle and stiltwalkers and jugglers.

From 6pm, Century FM radio presenter Vicki Archer, with the Century FM Roadshow crew, will entertain the crowds in the Market Square.

The route has been slightly changed to that notified previously, and the parade will now depart from the Arts Centre, in Vane Terrace, at 6.30pm, turn left into Abbey Road, then into Duke Street, right into Skinnergate, left into Blackwellgate then into High Row.

The parade will then turn in to Prebend Row, left on to Tubwell Row, right in to Church Row and then into the Market Square.

When the parade arrives in the Market Square there will further entertainment, including custard pie throwing, and the night will end with a fireworks display and Century FM roadshow.

The Orange Darlington Festival Lantern Parade is sponsored by Orange, presented by Darlington Borough Council and supported by Taylor Woodrow.

Road closures

Various road closures will be made on Friday for the parade. East Row will be closed from 3pm to 8pm.

Between 4pm and 8pm the following roads will be closed; Church Row, Horsemarket, Bull Wynd, Duke Street from Raby Terrace to Skinnergate, Skinnergate from Bells Place to Blackwellgate, Post House Wynd, High Row, Blackwellgate, West Row, Coniscliffe Road (Eastbound Lane) from Larchfield Street to Blackwellgate, Bondgate/Prospect Place from Abbots Yard to Northgate, Prebend Row, Tubwell, Priestgate from Crown Street to Prebend Row and Northgate from Prospect Place to Crown Street. Finally, between 5pm and 7pm Vane Terrace from Abbey Road to Trinity Road will also be closed.

Car access to the town centre

The one-way system operating on Church Row/Stonebridge will be suspended from 4pm to 8pm on Friday to allow access to the Town Hall car park from Feethams.

Pedestrian access to the Market Square

Via Feethams, Bull Wynd, Horsemarket and East Row.

Car parking

All town centre car parks will be available, but because of the numbers of people anticipated in the centre, the council wishes to encourage people to use public transport rather than their own cars.