MERMAIDS, birds and cherubs will be flying high over Weston beach this weekend when a new kite festival comes to town.

Up in the sky there will be dazzling aerial displays put on by specially invited guests from Holland and France along with many UK flyers and local kite clubs.

These include synchronised team routines choreographed to music and mock aerial battles using Japanese fighting kites.

Down on the ground there will be eye-catching displays of artistic banners, forests of flags and all the thrills and spills of kite-powered land boards and buggies.

Organisers working with North Somerset Council, who have supported the event, hope that the festival will become an annual fixture in the town’s growing events programme and help to attract more visitors to the area.

Event organisers Avril and Martin Baker, part of the team behind the popular Bristol International Kite Festival, said: “Weston beach is a great flying site with plenty of space for the experts and amateurs alike to join in the fun.

"We hope that the festival will attract many kite enthusiasts as well as providing an added spectacle for those visiting Weston on their holidays or for a family day out on the beach.”

Cllr Felicity Baker, North Somerset Council’s executive member for tourism and leisure, added: “The beach is a great venue for this type of festival and I have no doubt it will be a colourful and fantastic spectacle for everyone going to watch.”

Arena displays will run both days from 11am to 5pm and entry to the festival is free. Public parking will be available on Marine Parade and on beach car parks at Royal Sands and Clifton Sands.