High flying Birdman Festival returns to Russell

Russell's famous Birdman Festival is on again this weekend, with events starting tonight and the birdmen and women jumping off the wharf tomorrow.

The Russell Birdman Festival is on again this weekend with plenty of fun, entertainment and a few soggy people likely by the end of it.

It's wild, wacky and so much fun with two days of activities starting at 10am today with the Great Pancake Flip, with all events leading up to the Birdman jump from Russell Wharf on Saturday.

The Birdman Festival is adopting a more condensed format this year with the action compressed into Friday and Saturday instead of the usual three days of frivolity.

It will also be more concentrated space-wise with most events on Cass St, opposite the wharf.

The event will feature regular highlights such as the Drag Race (frock, heels and handbag compulsory), the Fred Dagg Dash (for women dressed as blokes), a spaghetti-eating contest, Corflute boat building, a wok cook-off and a kids' beach dig.

New attractions include a pancake flipping contest, a blind taste-testing contest, and street performances by Auckland circus group Highly Flammable.

The Birdman jump - in which contestants try to fly from the end of Russell Wharf in the most entertaining way possible - is at 2pm on Saturday.

Steph Godsiff, one of this year's organisers, urged more Northlanders to take part in the jump.

There was no prize for the longest flight this year, but the event's main sponsor - the Duke of Marlborough Tavern, also known as the Back Duke - would award one team a spot prize of a luxury weekend at Tapeka.

The main events and times are:

Today: 10am pancake flip; 11am Corflute boat building; 4-8pm night food market; 4pm magic show; 4.30pm Fred Dagg dash; 5pm drag race; 6pm kids movie.

Tomorrow: 9.30am beach dig (for under-10s); 9.30am-1.30pm Highly Flammable circus zone; 10am big kids Corflute boat building; 10.30am dinghy racing; 11am spaghetti eating; 10.30am-12.30pm wok cook-off; 12.30pm magic show; 1pm Corflute boat race; 1.30pm Birdman parade; 2pm Birdman jump; 3pm kids fancy dress; 4pm prizegiving.

Go to russellbirdman.co.nz for the full programme or to register a team for the jump.