HUNDREDS of volunteers are preparing for the colour and spectacle of the annual Janmashtami festival, which is coming to Aldenham.

Billed as the largest and most colourful Hindu festival outside India, Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple will host the event on Friday, August 26 and Sunday, August 28, More than 75,000 visitors and pilgrims are expected at the festiva,l which receives messages of support from Prime Minister Tony Blair, and other leading politicians.

Janmashtami is a 5,000-year old festival that celebrates the birth of the Hindu god, Lord Krishna.

The festival will include lively plays, traditional Indian dances, singing, food stalls, multi-media shows, elaborate worship, meditation and chanting, youth tents, games, children's areas, bullock-wagon rides and much more.