A “VISUAL FEAST” is promised this weekend on the River Esk as the Riding of the Marches finishes with a bang.

River (K)Nights takes place on the banks of the Esk on Saturday and Sunday at 9pm.

Billed as “an Esktacular of fire, water, sound and light”, the event promises: “A visual feast with two son et lumière (sound and light) shows with live fire on the River Esk.”

Robin Peoples, former artistic director of the Brunton Theatre Company, said: “At dusk on Saturday and Sunday, please join us at the River Esk, between the Store Bridge and the Rennie Bridge, to welcome the arrival of the lantern procession from the Brunton Hall.

“And there, reflected in the water, witness the Musselburgh Dialogue of old and new across the river and across the ages, the giant floating lantern in the shape of the Town Champion and the fire sculpture of the Honest Toun’s coat of arms, with choral singing and dance, beautiful illuminated costumes, created by students of Queen Margaret University, and music including the beautifully haunting The Maiden Who Walked on Water and the powerful Musselburgh Song.”

Mr Peoples said it was an honour to be involved in the Riding of Marches again, having been part of the 1995 celebrations.

He added: “When the last Riding of the Marches took place in 1995, the Brunton Theatre Company was delighted to be able to contribute to the celebrations in the form of a music, dance, song, lantern and fire sculpture event on the river, presented on the last two evenings of the festival week.

“I was equally delighted to have been asked this year by the Riding of the Marches entertainments committee to return to Musselburgh and, in collaboration with the same team of talented artists who created the 1995 event, produce a new version of the river event, and thus was born River (K)Nights.

“It has been an unalloyed pleasure to work again with writer and dramaturge John Harvey, composer and musical director David Trouton, and designer and pyrotechnician Scott Anderson, and also with RoM committee members Janice Burr and Irene Grant.

“We hope that this year’s event, bringing it into the 21st century, will be remembered as fondly by the community as that of 1995.”

Irene Grant, from the entertainments’ committee, was similarly looking forward to the event, which is free with support from Queen Margaret University and East Lothian Council.

She said: “The 1995 image of the knight on horseback gliding down the river towards our town crest along with beautiful haunting music is a memory which will never fade and to be a part of the team who are recreating this – bigger and better than 21 years ago – has been a dream come true.

“I would like to thank Robin Peoples and his visionary team for agreeing to recreate this iconic memory for all who were lucky enough to see it 21 years ago.

“I would urge everyone in the town to come along and see this ‘Esktacular’ spectacle.”