Thousands of people are expected to attend a six-hour street party in St Albans as part of the upcoming Alban Weekend.

The free Alban Street Festival will be held on Sunday, June 24, and will feature street performers, theatre, cabaret, dancing, face-painting and trampolining.

St Peter’s Street will be closed to traffic from midday to 6pm during the festival, which will take over the city centre.

The festival forms part of the Alban Weekend, and follows the Alban Pilgrimage on Saturday (June 23), where includes a parade of giant puppets celebrating St Alban, Britain’s first recorded Christian martyr who was beheaded by the Romans. The procession will also feature puppets of Roman chariots, centurions, lions and executioners.

Sunday’s street party, which has been organised by St Albans city and district council, will have two live music stages. At the Taxi Rank stage, opposite the Beech House, the music will include soul, reggae, acoustic pop and ukeleles, with performances from local acts Silverrock, ARC, Katie’s Jumping Fleas and UR Crew.

Close to the market there is the Curb-Side stage, which will feature cabaret, dancing, trampolining and music. The acts include Alban Bollywood, Pixie Studios and Purple Allstars.

More than 70 traders will be selling a range of food and drink, as well as arts and crafts from market stalls. There will also be puppet-making workshops and the summer-themed Tiki Bar offering exotic cocktails.

Among the other activities, there will be a workshop on the art of screen painting at St Albans Museum and Gallery, run by artist Laura Felicity and costing £2 per child.

Free activities include a series of workshops on the First World War, including poppy-making and a children’s marching drill to give people an insight into the life of a soldier.

Peter Templeman from Oaklands College will be giving people the chance to try his handmade wooden games, and ‘The Great Get Together’ will provide a quiet place for people to come and have a chat.

As part of the Sustainability Centre, visitors can see ‘The Incredible Edible Civic Centre Food Garden’ at the Alban Arena, managed by FoodSmiles. There will be demonstrations of seed-planting and a children’s bird-feeder making workshop.

To celebrate Bike Month, there will be stunt shows along with the opportunity for members of the public to try some tricks.

Councillor Salih Gaygusuz, portfolio holder for business and the community, said: “The Alban Weekend is an enthralling event that attracts huge crowds to the city centre and I urge people not to miss out.

“The atmosphere at the street festival is always fantastic with so much free entertainment on offer throughout the day. It is a marvellous day out.

“There is something to suit people of all ages and interests and it is all set against the dramatic backdrop of our historic City Centre. This year we have an extra attraction with the new museum having just opened and contributing to the many activities on offer.”

For more details of the Pilgrimage and Street Festival, including a map, please see: http://www.enjoystalbans.com/whats-on/index.html