THERE'LL be a whole lotta shakin' goin' on when Cooly Rocks On rolls into Coolangatta and Tweed Heads this weekend.

The nostalgia festival which celebrates music, cars and culture from the 50s, 60s and now the 70s, will see the streets and venues on both sides of the border take a trip back in time from Thursday to Sunday.

This year the festival, while condensed in duration, will be packed with new events as well as some crowd favourites.

The festival precinct will move slightly south, from Kirra Point through to the Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads and due to the impact of the Commonwealth Games , organisers have also moved the markets and trade stalls further along the beach foreshore.

Marine Parade and Griffith Street will again become pedestrian malls featuring live music and one of the major attractions of Cooly Rocks - cars.

The inclusion of pre 1978 manufactured cars has give the festival a new dimension and lovers of panel vans should be in for a treat.

The festival which has secured American Lance Lupinski as its headline artist this year.

Lupinski has developed a cult following in the US with his high energy Las Vegas shows and he will be performing several times during the festival at the various stages in the precinct.

This year sees the return of the famed billy cart derby down Boundary Street on Saturday and Sunday where speed isn't the only criteria for success.

There will be a revival of the hula hoop this year with demonstrations and group classes held throughout the festival to get the hips moving.

Of course Cooly Rocks On wouldn't be the same without a bit of glitz and glamour and the Miss Cooly Rocks On contest on Thursday night at the Tweed Heads Civic Centre from 6pm to 8pm is one of the festival highlights.

Entrants will revive vintage glamour from the 40s, 50s and 60s, and the pin up culture and community of modern day times while on Friday night at the Coolangatta Hotel from 6pm embraces the pin up culture and fashion of the same eras.

On the streets, there will be Goggomobil rides for the charity TLC for Kids and Mudgeeraba Special School on Friday.

Saturday will see the Cooly Rocks On street parade starting at 9.30am. This is a major attraction of the festival and one of the largest streets parades in Australia featuring floats, vintage cars, surf wagons, bikes, vans and more all to the sounds of the 50s and 60s.

This popular parade attracts thousands of spectators who line the parade route.

After the parade, there will be a Vintage Picnic at Jack Evans Boat Harbour from noon to 3pm designed to encourage people to dress, bring their old photos and memories and share in times gone by.

Saturday will also see a longboard competition off Kirra Point and at night, the Super Cruises where the cars that have been on show during the day come to life and cruise the streets of Coolangatta from 6pm- to 7pm and from 7.45pm-8.45pm and there will also be a major fireworks display at 7pm.

On Sunday, Cooly Rocks On goes to the dogs with the annual Poodles and Pugs Parade where canines strut the catwalk in what has become a great crowd puller to the Dutton Street Stage in Coolangatta. This starts at 10am.

The festival will also feature a kids carnival zone at the Jack Evans Boat Harbour, from Thursday to Sunday, dance workshops, pin ball competitions and a swap meet for motor enthusiasts.

Clubs and pub will be rockin'n' rollin' for the duration of the festival will the majority of entertainment free.

Cooly Rocks On brings the past to the present and provides young and old the chance to cruise or dance down memory lane and for a younger generation to find out what their parents and grandparents did in their youth (or not).

For more information and the program of events, visit www.coolyrockson.com