 HEAVENS above! One of the Midlands' most popular annual attractions is set to explode back into life and light up the night sky from this weekend. The 57th Walsall Illuminations opens to the public with a guest appearance by children's TV character Spongebob Squarepants at 7pm on Friday. Organisers hope to lure 200,000 visitors to the town's arboretum over the six-week run after last year's attendances dropped by around 30,000 on the 2005 figure of 190,000. They have lavished £800,000 on scores of light and laser displays and a host of new attractions. A new log-flume roller coaster called the Jungle River Ride will be unveiled on opening night and there will also be juggling shows and a 600-seat marquee to provide entertainment if the weather turns sour.
 Tim Challans, of Walsall Council's leisure and culture team, said the lights attracted visitors from across the country. "The illuminations are a real tradition and people travel for miles to see them," he said. "I would urge families to come along and experience them. We have initiatives like our park and ride scheme to make it as easy as possible for them to reach us." This year's lights are starting almost a month later than usual on a trial basis. The first full week will tie in with the school half-term holiday and organisers also hope to cash in on celebrations covering Halloween, Divali and the run-up to Christmas. Halloween parties will be held from October 31 until November 2.
 But plans to grant free admission to visitors arriving at the parties with pumpkins were hit when crop levels were affected by the summer downpours. Organisers have now changed the rules so anyone turning up with hollowed out turnips or swedes will get in free instead. The illuminations run until December 2. They are open from 6.45pm to 9.45pm on weeknights, 6.30pm to 10.15pm on Saturdays and open early at a variety of times on Sundays. Tickets on the gate cost £6 for adults and £4.50 for children, pensioners and the disabled. More information is available on 0845 111 2909 or at www.walsall-lights.com FACTFILE The light displays put together at the illuminations use more than 30,000 bulbs The illuminations were launched in 1951 as part of Walsall's Festival of Britain celebrations More than 40 miles of electrical cables are needed to power the attractions The lights take more than a dozen workers six weeks to install A team of three staff spend the entire year designing and building new lights displays.
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