The Rampton Spinners at work at the 2009 Fen Edge Family Festival.

THE summer solstice heralds the Fen Edge Family Festival when people from five villages come together to celebrate their community.

Held every two years, Fen Edge Family Festival will have hot air ballooning, medieval knights, archaeological digs and quad biking among activities packed into four days.

Festivities begin today and will be spread across venues in Cottenham and Willingham.

Organising committee chairman Mike Smith expects 10,000 visitors by close of play on Sunday.

He said: “Community is the key word and we have a full programme of music throughout the weekend, a fairly full programme of art and sport in a fun way as opposed to being more competitive.

“Weather depending, there is hot air balloon meet at dawn and late afternoon on Saturday.

“And there are events to appeal to older people with bingo and tea dance on Friday afternoon.”

The village’s first ever flashmob will be performed on Cottenham Green at 4pm on Saturday organised by the Cottenham Theatre. A workshop and group rehearsal will be held in the main hall at the village college at 10am.

Neil Mackay, who came up with the idea, said: “My son had just been involved in a flashmob over in Sweden and was telling me how much fun it had been.

“While watching the YouTube clip of his event I noticed there were lots of similar clips from all over the world.

“We decided it would be a great thing to try and it could bring more people to join in the fun.”

The battle re-enactment group the Knights of Skirbeck will set up camp in Cottenham dressed as medieval knights.

And those with green fingers can get advice from Bob Flowerdew from BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time on Sunday lunchtime.

There is live music throughout the weekend – including a buskers’ tent – with Sunday night’s entertainment dedicated to festival founder Tim Eade who died in October, aged 51, from cancer.

Dad-of-two Mr Eade lived in Cottenham and sang in the group Big Mouth & Vox Pop who will perform in the main marquee on Cottenham’s village green.

This is followed by a free party with music by East Anglian party band Shredded Beat.

Money raised will be donated to the Cottenham Community Centre, a venture supported by Mr Eade which saw the Methodist Church turned into a coffee shop with adjoining community hall with a £180,000 refurbishment.

Despite the church losing its premises, it has recruited a new minister Rev Simon Oliver who is involved in organising the Fen Edge Family Festival.

Rev Oliver said: “It’s a bizarre but very interesting role in which I work with 20 and 30-somethings and young families.

“We don’t have a church or a congregation but get involved in community projects.”

Rev Oliver is organising a ‘pop-up church’ on Cottenham village green on Sunday morning where people are provided with a space to be peaceful, pray or ask questions about the Christian faith.