Festival parade set to draw 100,000 to Holyrood Park

More than 3000 participants are expected to delight the audience, with previews of some of the shows playing in the Capital at this year's festivals.

And among the highlights of the parade will be a gigantic inflatable caterpillar, operated by ten people, which organisers said would have a real "wow" factor for spectators.

There will also be an entertainment area for spectators on the green by Holyrood Palace, including bands, dancers, stilt walkers and performers.

This is the second year the cavalcade has been held in Holyrood Park, as a result of the on-going tram works on Princes Street, and while organisers admitted they were keen to return to the traditional route, they said they had been delighted at the response to the cavalcade in the park.

Last year more than 75,000 people turned out to watch the event, and Cavalcade director David Todd said he was hopeful they would have an even bigger crowd this year.

"We didn't get as many people as we did when we were on Princes Street, so I'm hoping we will get a bigger crowd this year," he said.

"We could have taken the cavalcade back onto Princes Street this year, but because of the tram works at the west end we couldn't get all the performers out again easily, so we decided to hold it in the park."

The parade, which starts at 2pm, will be led by more than 150 Harley Davidson, Honda Gold Wing and Ducati motorcyclists, as well as some classic Ferraris, and will also include the entire cast of this year's Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

More than 20 Fringe and community floats will be included in the parade, which will also feature around 12 bands from across Scotland.

The cavalcade will start at the Holyrood Park Road entrance at 2pm and travel north and east along Queen's Drive, past Dynamic Earth, the Scottish Parliament and Palace of Holyroodhouse, before finishing at the Meadowbank Terrace entrance at around 3pm.

HATS NOT ALL

VISITORS to this weekend's Mela Festival at Leith Links will be able to try on a variety of police hats from around the world as part of the event's 'migration' theme.

Lothian and Borders Police are the sponsors of this year's Mela, which was set to take place over today and tomorrow.

The force stand will feature a mini-museum, displaying a number of "now and then" objects, including old-fashioned handcuffs, truncheon, and police whistle.

Festival-goers will be able to try on police hats from countries, including Switzerland, Poland and Australia, as well as other old and new police uniforms, and have their photograph taken against a mural painted for the force by the Children's Youth Parliament.