An old legend will be revived at a festival this weekend.

Hundreds of revellers are expected to descend on Marsden on April 24 and 25 to celebrate the village’s annual Cuckoo Day.

Streets and venues will come alive with dancers, musicians and other performers at the 23rd event.

And it’s an event which was established to highlight the local legend that discovering the first cuckoo of the year meant that spring had begun.

Marsdeners, also nicknamed Cuckoos, began to celebrate the event in the hope that good weather would come. They tried to build a tower around the cuckoo to ensure Spring would remain but the bird flew away as the last stones were being laid.

On Friday the event will spring into life when the National Trust lead a walk from outside the Mechanics Hall at 6.15pm to where the Legend of the Cuckoo is told.

This will be followed by a free acoustic session hosted by Black Joak at the Marsden Band Room Folk Night.

On Saturday the village will come alive with dozens of activities and entertainment at venues such as the village centre, Marsden Park and churches.

On the music bill this year are Mucky Pups ukulele band, Frumptarn Guggen Band, Klezmer East Wing Occidentals, Unity Voice and Marsden Junior Band and Infants School Choir.

Maypole, Morris and belly dancers will entertain the crowds, while donkey rides and stalls will be available in the park.

This year several workshops will also be on offer, which includes laughter yoga, theatre craft, zentangle drawing and cuckoo making ahead of the procession at 3pm, which will begin from Wessen Court.

A temporary road closure will take place between 3 and 3.30pm on Saturday to allow for the parade to pass.

This will be followed by a duck race from Mellor Bridge.

Marsden Walkers are Welcome will continue the feel-good atmosphere on Sunday, when they hold a family activity day at the Standedge Visitors Centre.

The festival has been organised by a group of volunteers and was made possible by a grant from The Cuckoo’s Nest charity shop and by tickets sales from the duck race.

One of the organisers, Mark Tiffany, said: “Well the excitement is building ahead of the festival and there will also be stalls and food and drink available throughout the day .

“Come and join us for a fantastic family day.”