THE streets of Cricklade will come alive on Sunday with the annual Cricklade Festival.

Staying true to its roots of providing free entertainment to the Cricklade community and promoting the town, the event continues to attract several thousand visitors from across North Wiltshire and beyond.

A spokesman for the organisers said: “Despite its size and success, the festival manages to retain a fabulously warm and welcoming atmosphere with something for everyone, no matter what age.

“This year we have aimed for variety, taking the opportunity to bring back a few popular entertainers from previous years. So, look out for Graffiti Classics, making classical music wickedly funny, local jazz greats Fretless & Friends and A Dragon’s Tale Puppet Show.

“New to the Festival are world class acts such as hysterical illusionist and Britain’s Got Talent finalist 2016 Christian Lee, comedy dance duo Stretch People, acrobatic comedy recently seen on TV as semi-finalists in this year’s Britain’s Got Talent Lords of Strut, The Great Gatsby Show Girls and no Festival would be complete without a brass band with The Cricklade Band and the Chippenham Morris Men performing.”

Over the past 12 years, the festival has grown from a basic street fair with a stage on the back of a flatbed trailer surrounded by hay bales to a professional main stage, a street stage and an acoustic music marquee on the School Field. It is always well supported by local pubs and businesses, plus street stalls and vendors, so there will be food, drink and shopping opportunities to suit all tastes, and pockets.

The festivities start with the traditional 11am parade and the fun comes to an end at 4pm. Parking is on the Rugby Pitch on the entrance to Cricklade, and disabled parking is in St. Sampson’s school car park, both of which will be sign-posted.