TENS of thousands of spectators were due to descend on the New Forest today for the start of the area's biggest annual event.

The New Forest and Hampshire County Show, held at New Park, Brockenhurst, is expected to draw about 100,000 people over the next three days.

For the first time, temporary traffic lights will be operating on the A337 in a bid to reduce congestion in and around the showground.

Top attractions will include a team of mechanical marvels known as the Dancing Diggers, and several flights by microlight pilot Christian Moullec, who will lead a flock of geese in formation over the crowd.

Spectators will also be able to enjoy a host of other attractions, including showjumping, sheep racing and the annual pole-climbing contest.

A display by the Royal Artillery Parachute Team will be among the highlights of tomorrow's programme. Visitors to the 38-acre site are likely to munch their way through 5,000 bread rolls and 570 kilos of potatoes.

Traders also expect to sell 13,400 pints and 380 bottles of wine, plus a huge number of ice creams. This year's show is the first since the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) gained its full powers in April.

The NPA stand will include a tranquil zone, where people can sit back and listen to sounds recorded in the National Park, including birdsong, rustling leaves and lapping waves.

Spectators will also be able to listen to tapes of local people explaining why they like the area. First held in 1921, the show became a two-day attraction in 1978 and switched to its three-day format in 1989. The event, which costs about £1m to stage, is among the top ten agricultural and equestrian shows in the country.

Don't miss the Daily Echo tomorrow, Thursday and Friday for the best New Forest and Hampshire County Show coverage.