Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Pooley Bridge and Penrith this weekend to celebrate the winter Droving - strangers all having fun together.

There will be torchlight parades, music, jugglers and street theatre - and amongst the crowds will be a group of strangers wandering round and making friends.

Kamchatka come from Spain and are eight characters lost in the city, each carrying their own suitcase. Naïve, curious and funny, they are either passers-by or immigrants, wandering through streets dressed in suits and carrying suitcases.

The silent act demands audience involvement and group member member Gary Shochat says: “It is street theatre in its purest form, it can’t be done anywhere else.

“It is purely interactive. It is about strangers and the notion of encountering ‘the other’. Once you are a stranger and you are the ‘other’ in a different place, you don’t know the codes of etiquette.

“We have been performing it for 13 years and it is different every time. We don’t know where it starts or where it ends.”

They are appearing along with The Baghdaddies at Pooley Bridge tomorrow night and again in Penrith on Saturday.

Among the music acts appearing over the weekend are K.O.G and the Zongo Brigade with their African-inspired dance beats and the ever-popular Baghdaddies who mix Balkan melodies, ska and Latin sounds, as well as circus acts and other performers.

Throughout Saturday there will be a street market in Penrith, a vintage fairground and six music and performances stages.

There will be over 100 street traders selling a wide range of world foods, vegan and vegetarian cuisine, giftware, local artists’ works, and a special Crafty Vintage area featuring collectables, retro wares, quirky handmade items and fine foods.

The event, which marks the clocks going back and the start of winter, has been extended this year to include Burrowgate, with a new market area that tips its hat to Borough Market in London, and there is also a new performance area for roaming acts and street bands.