An army of 500 blondes will try to put a smile back on the face of recession-weary Latvians by staging a festival this weekend designed to show that they really do have more fun.

The Blonde Weekend will include a parade by a bevvy of blondes through the streets of the capital Riga, to the accompaniment of music from a blonde orchestra, a fashion show and an evening ball.

There will even be a golf tournament only open to blonde women, say the organisers. "The economic situation is such that society needs these types of events," Marika Gidere, head of Latvia's Blondes' Association, told AFP.

"People are depressed, they don't have enough positive emotions. And this is something very positive and fun. And we know that blondes have more fun," she said, adding she expected at least 500 women to attend the event.

Latvia, a Baltic nation of 2.3 million people, has been going through the most severe recession in the 27-nation European Union, fuelling public wage cuts and rising unemployment.

Well hand me my passport and a bottle of peroxide!

The first blondes to arrive were a bit of a disappointment.

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