Balloons will not be the only things to watch at Cutteslowe Park.

Chris Tuffrey

Visitors will be able to enjoy a host of different entertainment during the fiesta.

The horses on display will be dressed in medieval hunting gear and include Monty, a Clydesdale, who is typical of the type of war horse which was used during the medieval period.

Continuing the theme, the Medieval Combat Society will re-enact a 14th century tournament, battling against one another in chain mail armour -- which weighs a cumbersome 84lb -- and wielding genuine steel weapons.

In the Middle Ages, jousting tournaments were the location for a knight to make or break his reputation, so fighting could be dangerous, and to the death.

This weekend's knights plan to recreate the atmosphere of a medieval jousting tournament.

All the combatants must rely on their months of specialist training to 'survive' the contest, as the fights are not staged.

Watch the struggles, listen to the clash of steel, cheer on the winners and boo the losers as they enter the fray.

The knights will be on hand on both days to talk with anyone interested in joining combat societies.

The kite buggy display, which opens the fiesta at 11am on Saturday and features throughout the two-day event, is pitched at spectators of all ages.

Classed as the new extreme sport, kite buggying, or parakarting, is a technical sport with plenty of thrills.

The pilot sits in a small, light vehicle while flying a kite that pulls the buggy. He or she steers the buggy with pegs attached to the front forks and uses a steerable kite to pull it along, much as a sail pulls a sailboat. The buggy can go upwind, downwind or across the wind at speeds exceeding 50 mph.

The Kite Buggy Display team is keen to introduce more people to this minority sport and will be ready after the display to answer questions about training.

The action-fuelled programme continues with an impressive performance from the Kangaroo Gymnastic Display Team.

The team will complete more than 250 gymnastic stunts, including double somersaults over a Land Rover Discovery, synchronised Olympic vaults over a six foot high vaulting table, triple somersaults and the longest and highest continuous vaulting move in the world.

The team, which formed in 1981, is now recognised as one of the leading gymnastic groups in Europe, and one of the top arena acts in Britain. Members have appeared on various television programmes, including Blue Peter, and often feature at shows in this country and abroad.

During Saturday and Sunday, skydivers will leap into the park from a Cessna aeroplane.

Meanwhile, Andy Coombes, who goes by the name of Air Ace, will provide a comedy routine set to music. Mocking the traditional image of a wartime Wing Commander -- complete with walrus moustache and plummy accent -- his tongue-in-cheek performance involves a failed attempt to get a small Spitfire off the ground.

Andy said: "It's an off-the-wall act which the children love, and adults can also appreciate the old stereotype." Birds of prey will be taking flight too.

Hawkmaster, more commonly known as Chris Tuffrey and Eileen Gilmore, will offer a falconry and horse display set to music. Dressed in traditional costume, the pair will recreate an medieval hunting scene. Each of the impressive birds has a unique personality. The birds include Gus, a male spotted eagle owl; Kir, a female Harris hawk; Tommy, a male Lanner falcon and Honey, a female tawny eagle.