FESTIVAL fever will be sweeping Old Town today as families flock to enjoy live music, dancing and performing arts.

Hundreds of people are expected to head to the Town Gardens from 10am for bandstand acoustic sessions, performances in The Bowl and a pop concert in the evening.

Events continue until June 23 and Old Town Festival committee chairwoman Carol Gibbon said everyone was in for a treat.

“There is something for all the family. We are a community-based festival right from the little ones through to teenagers and adults,” she said.

“You can’t get much more diverse than having classical and punk in 24 hours.”

The bandstand acoustic sessions will be held in the Town Gardens from 10am until 5.30pm and will include performances from The Canary Club, Talking In Code and Commonweal Performing Arts Academy.

From 11am until 3pm in The Bowl there will also be performances from Swindon Academy of Dance, Teresa School of Dance, Tanwood Performing Arts and Kentwood Choir.

A pop concert will be held in The Bowl from 3pm until 10.30pm with music from False Gods, The Tributes and Ruff Diamond.

Entertainment will continue on Sunday from 10.25am until 5.50pm with Swindon Pegasus Brass and the Swindon Scratch Choir among the performers.

From 11am until 3pm there will also be Nepalese performers, free zumba, Bollywood Dreamers and Lethbridge Indian Dancers.

“There is a massive range of acts. It is amazing how many people in the community wanted to come along,” Carol said.

“People need to come out and celebrate the good things about Swindon.

“It has been such a worry with the weather but it doesn’t look like it will be as bad as we thought it was going to be.

“We are putting up lots of shelter and hopefully if we get a shower people will just shelter while it is on.

“We can’t do anything about the weather, we just have to try and minimise its effects.”

The Nepalese Community group, in association with Voluntary Action Swindon, will be volunteering up to 20 people from their community to help out on each day.

A classical prom concert will be held in The Bowl from 3pm until 10.30pm, which will include Locomotion, Swindon Young Musicians and Brunel Brass with soprano Lynn Hawkins.

Celebrations will continue with the Brian Bridgeman Memorial Walk on June 19, a Jubilee Choral Concert on June 20 at Christ Church, a piano recital by Paul Turner on June 21 and the Histories And Mysteries Of Swindon Walk on the same day.

A four-course hog roast will also take place on The Lawn on June 22 and next weekend will see a parade and a dog show .

Voluntary Action Swindon the local Council for Voluntary Services in Swindon, has teamed up with the Old Town Festival to provide spaces for local voluntary groups.

VAS has helped to recruit charities, voluntary and community groups to form part of this year’s Community Marketplace, a new feature for the festival.

To contact VAS about free spaces phone Seniz at VAS on 01793 538398.

For tickets for the paid events or for a full schedule visit www.oldtownfestival.co.uk or phone Jenny on 01793 536614 or Carol on 01793 522955.