Popstars including Lemar and Misha B are due to star in a series of free summer celebrations announced by Waltham Forest Council following its ‘Big Six’ Olympic events last year.

Live music, sport, film and carnivals are all set to feature in the events planned around the borough between June and September, as residents are encouraged to put the dates in their diaries for the free festivities.

The first celebration will be the Walthamstow Big Weekender at  Waltham Forest Town Hall in Forest Road on Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16.

The Soul London orchestra will be fronted by singers Lemar, Misha B, Marc Almond, Angel and Carleen Anderson over the two days.

It will be held alongside the Mela festival at the same location, celebrating Asian culture with music, dance, food and drink.

There will then be a Festival of Sport coinciding with Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 29, at the town hall.

People of all ages are invited to try their hand at activities including an SAS zip line and a revolving climbing wall.

After that the Leyton Big Weekender will take place in Leyton Cricket Ground, Crawley Road, on Saturday and Sunday, July 13 and 14.

The event will feature Disney classics being projected onto big screens as well as a Caribbean Carnival.

The popular Chingford Day will return as the Chingford Big Weekender in August.

Soul legends Billy Ocean, Junior and Alexander O’Neal will peform at the event in Ridgeway Park, The Ridgeway, on August 10 before the Leytonstone Big Weekender brings the summer to a conclusion.

It is set to take place in Cathall Green and Church Lane on September 7 and 8 and will feature live music.

The new series of events will go ahead after the authority spent £1.6 million on the ‘Big Six’ Olympic celebrations in 2012, which included firework displays, concerts and a Christmas-themes Winter Wonderland.