BLACKBURN’S streets will become a stunning work of art at the first of two new festivals this summer – and spectators can add a few dashes of colour of their own.

Using a 500-year-old chalking technique, poster paints, pastels and pavement chalks will create a massive picture on King William Street on July 18.

The day also includes a fairground organ, stilt walkers and face painters but the highlight will be the creation of a large pavement art by a company called Urban Canvas.

Blackburn Improvement District manager Harriet Roberts said: “Everybody gets the chance to take part in creating this piece. The end result is a beautiful piece of art that everyone feels a part of.”

The creation is part of new family festivals follows the success of the appearance of children’s character, Mr Bloom.

Huge visitor numbers, positive feedback and an overwhelming thumbs up from traders at the Countryside Comes to Town festival has prompted organisers to lay on more big days out.

The Town Hall Street Fairs – on Saturday, July 18, and Saturday, August 15 will take place next to Blackburn library and feature a collection of curated arts and crafts stalls.

There will also be a circle of stalls in King William Street, which will provide an opportunity to showcase some of Blackburn Market’s popular traders.

Pif Paf Arts will also present two performances of outdoor street theatre – Flycycle and Submercycle – a cycle-based street production combining “movement, stories of travel, geography and the occasional pocket of turbulence”.

Mrs Roberts added: “The next event was the Blackburn Heritage Festival which is not until September.

“People can’t stop talking about the weekend, and despite the rain they had such a good time with Mr Bloom that we thought, ‘why wait until September?’ “The huge number of visitors to Blackburn for Countryside Comes to Town showed there’s an appetite for family entertainment and shopping.”