Music, colour and fun will fill the parks and streets of Barking and Dagenham this weekend during the Thank You Roadshow.

The three-day event offers free, family-friendly entertainment, including live singers, drummers, acrobats, dancers, stilt performers and street theatre.

There will be entertainment at different times in six parks across the borough tomorrow (Saturday) and on Sunday.

The fun then takes to the streets on Monday – the 73rd anniversary of the NHS – as the roadshow visits every ward in the borough.

It will start with a special flag-raising and a two-minute silence at Barking Town Hall at 10am, before stopping at 1pm for the Nation’s Toast and later finishing in a doorstep “clap for our heroes” at 8pm.

The event coincides with the first national NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers Day on Monday.

Leader of the council, Councillor Darren Rodwell, said: “We wanted to say thank you to the NHS, to key workers, and to our community.

“We have all had an incredibly challenging last year and we’ve seen streets fall silent, skies with no planes in them, parks with no children playing in them and families kept apart.

“That’s why this event is so important and why even Covid-19 couldn’t put the brakes on our roadshow.

"We were determined to find a way to make changes and let people safely enjoy some free fun with their friends and family - now we just need some sun back."

The council was forced to make several last-minute changes to the event to make sure it met Covid-19 guidelines after the government delayed the lifting of lockdown.

The weekend entertainment in parks will be Covid-secure, with people to be seated in up to groups of six.

Deputy leader and cabinet member for community leadership and engagement, Cllr Saima Ashraf, said: “I am so happy we are pushing forward with our Thank You Roadshow, so that we can give thanks to the NHS, our key workers and our community for all their commitment and efforts this past year.

“The whole community have stuck together and shown they are resilient, and this roadshow is our way of showing our appreciation to them.”

Visit lbbd.gov.uk/thank-you-roadshow for more information and the full schedule.