GIANT teeth and bright green creatures are just two of the highlights to watch out for in tonight's 2012 Cairns Festival grand parade.

James Cook University has for the first time this year created a float for the parade and JCU student association Cairns campus director Johnathon Lemon said the entry would be interactive and lots of fun.

"We have a couple of different mascots that represent some of the schools here and we’ll do our best to have a really fun time and show the Cairns community what we’re all about," he said.

The dental school’s tooth and IT department's android mascot will be joined by Cycas circus performers and students done up in medical body art, while a JCU van will be filled with balloons to hand out to spectators.

Cairns Festival co-ordinator Roz Pappalardo said this year's grand parade was bigger than many in recent years, with almost 60 floats involved, ranging from roller derby girls to YAPS.

"It's definitely all for one, one for all, we're really excited to have so many people wanting to be involved," she said.

"You can expect to see loads of fun, colour and people. The Omikoshi Japanese cultural float has got 300 people involved, we’ve got kids, dogs, I think it will be a great showcase about what Cairns is all about."

The 2012 Cairns Festival starts at 5.30pm today and is expected to take about two hours to wind its way from Munro Martin Park, down Minnie St and through to the Esplanade and Fogarty Park.

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