Tonight the crustaceans run wild in downtown Aiken.

The 26th annual Lobster Race will be held tonight from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. in downtown Aiken encompassing The Alley and the Newberry Festival site.

The event incorporates six stages and features 11 bands.

Nearly 12,000 people from all over the state are expected to join the fun. Newberry Street will be home to the children's area complete with rides, children's shows and community performances geared toward entertaining the entire family.

This year, the actual lobster races draw national attention as 14 heats with five lobsters each will race three meters across a Plexiglas lobster track. Challengers will be looking to beat the 16.15-second standing track record.

Live music kicks off at 6 p.m., and the races get under way shortly afterward at the track on Newberry Street. The Hotel Aiken stage features the East Coast Party Band; the Lionel Smith Stage includes Eddy Trip, Loco and Simple as That; the Municipal Building Stage hosts Anybody's Guess; the Lobster Stage features Eddie G as the DJ, lobster racing, Flatland Express and Savannah Grass; the Bee Lane stage features Palmetto Groove; Nick's Kids Stage is home to children's shows; and the Kicks 99 Newberry Street Stage features Merging Traffic and Low Down Brown.

Tickets are $5 per person at the gate, and children 6 or younger are admitted free. Children's ride bands are $30 at the gate. T-shirts are $15 and anyone wearing an official Lobster Race 2010 T-shirt will be admitted to the festival free of charge. Alcohol will be allowed on the streets from 6 to 11 p.m. and will be strictly enforced; anyone consuming alcohol must be 21 or older and be wearing an official wristband. Wristbands will be available for $1 at each gate.

Proceeds raised from the event are donated to the mentally and physically challenged in the area, including Aiken County Special Olympics, the Tri-Development Center and Hitchcock Healthcare.

Ride bands and T-shirts may be purchased prior to the event at Lionel Smith Ltd., Atlantic Broadband, Screenprint Factory, Hitchcock Healthcare, All-Star Rents and Ingate Pharmacy. For more information, visit www.lobsterrace.com.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.

Want to Go?

What? 26th Annual Lobster Race

When? Tonight from 6 to 11 p.m.

Where? Downtown Aiken