In addition to the rushcart, there will be seven morris-dancing sides tomorrow and five on Sunday. They will accompany the 60 men, clad in white shirts, black trousers, panama hats and traditional clogs, as they haul the 16ft high, one ton, thatched and decorated rushcart on its 10-mile route to the delight of thousands of spectators and visitors lining the route.

The festival weekend has something for everyone, say organisers. Combined with the rushbearing there will be the annual Norland Scarecrow Trail, celebratory festivities and a fairground in the canal basin, mummers' plays and street entertainers, special church services, a traditional market and the Friendly Brass Band in and around the market place.

The annual Real Ale Trail will take place in Sowerby Bridge and there will be a village fete and flower festival in Ripponden.

The festivities get under way tonight with many pubs putting on barbecues and live music. There is a pre-festival get-together at The Works in Hollins Mill Lane where the organisers, cart pullers and the visiting morris teams aim to enjoy a lively evening.

Festival chairman John Coupe says: "Rushbearing is often seen as the last major event of the summer and so it is important that we give everyone a really memorable weekend."

Rushbearing dates back several centuries to the time when church floors consisted of little more than stone flags or beaten earth and rushes were used to cover the floor, with new layers being added as they became stale. Once a year the church cleared out the rotten rushes and new ones were taken to the churches in carts so this turned into a celebration and holiday involving revelry, music and morris dancing and drinking of strong ales.

The modern-day cart takes around 10 days to prepare and is decorated with tightly fastened bundles of fresh cut rushes, a handcrafted apron, tankards and brasses. During the procession women take turns for the precarious ride on top of the swaying cart.

The procession stops at churches along the route for the presentation of symbolic garlands of rushes, with dancing and entertainment at each stop.