A MENAGERIE of wicker animals will be bobbing through the streets of Ulverston this weekend for the annual arts spectacle that is the town's Lantern Festival.

Some 12,000 people are expected to turn out on Saturday to see Ulverston's thoroughfares transformed into glowing rivers of light as townsfolk parade their paper and wicker lanterns.

After a full week of numerous lantern-making workshops, at least 700 lanterns crafted in keeping with this year's theme of Fur, Feather and Scales should be on show in the procession, starting at 8.30pm.

Susanne Benson, manager of Ulverston's Tourist Information Centre, said it would be a "very busy weekend".

"It's a lovely evening and a lovely atmosphere and it seems to be getting more popular."

Anthea Rathlin-Jones of Welfare State International - the Ulverston-based arts collective that started the event in 1983 said the festival was great at drawing people together. Neighbours who might merely have exchanged pleasantries in the past worked together to craft their lanterns, she said.

She was keeping the details of the festival's Ford Park finale at 9.15pm to herself, but assured that it would be spectacular with specially-composed music and plenty of fireworks.

The Lantern Festival will mark the end of this year's Charter Festival, which has included more than 30 different events. During the second week of the celebrations, 59 runners completed the Charter five-kilometre race led by Chris Winward of the Salford Harriers. He completed the cross-town course in just 14 minutes and 42 seconds. Another 12 Charter goers donned medieval robes to take part in the annual Longbow Tournament at Ford Park while others joined in the Charter Tennis Tournament, five-a-side football and Charter Quiz.