LATIN American music, tapas and a giant puppet will be part of celebrations at the Museum of Oxford tomorrow night as people mark the 30th anniversary of the city's twinning with León in Nicaragua.

It will kick off a series of events marking the historic relationship, hosted by the Oxford León Association and Trust.

The group has been raising funds for development projects in León since the twinning links were formalised.

At the museum tomorrow, people have been invited to bring photos, mementos or records they have of trips to León for a reunion event from 7.30pm to 10.30pm 

As well as food and music, there will be a cash bar, a quiz, raffle, display paintings and gigantona – a giant puppet that is currently on display in the Museum of Oxford.

The guest of honour will be Sra Guisell Morales-Echaverry, the Nicaraguan Ambassador to the UK.

John Tanner, a councillor who visited Leon in 1990 who has taken part in several link events, said: “It is fantastic to be celebrating 30 years of twinning the university cities of Oxford and León in Nicaragua.

"León is our only twin with a city in a developing country and I take my hat off to the hundreds of people who have cemented this friendship link, and encourage everyone who hasn’t yet to get involved.”

Leon, Nicaragua's former capital and second largest city, has been twinned with Oxford since 1986, and has an ancient cathedral and the oldest university in Central America.

Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, subject to volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, droughts and tsunami.

In Oxford, Cheney School is twinned with John F Kennedy School in Leon, and several city churches fund projects there.

After Hurricane Mitch in 1999, Oxford raised £10,000 to dig wells for refugees.