THE seventh Swindon Fringe Festival kicked off in style last night with an evening of music and dance in the town centre.

The Crossing was abuzz with excitement as festival fans enjoyed delicious dishes from some of the Brunel shopping centre food hub's finest eateries while watching top entertainment from musicians Flame&Co, Hallelugenia, Canute's Plastic Army, and Darine Flanagan's tap-dancing/hula-hooping performance Noisy Hoops.

Maddison Worthington taught guests young and old to juggle while also showing off her own skills. Madi has flown in all the way from San Francisco to to perform her one-woman show Commercial Waste at The Victoria on April 10 and host workshops in the Brunel after being impressed during her first visit to Swindon last year.

She said: "Everyone here is so welcoming, the people here are so nice, I got to go on the BBC which was really cute. Last time, I went to STEAM and I really enjoyed that, it was so cool.

"I used to be in the circus and did a juggling workshop here last year, it was really popular, I had around 30 kids trying it out, it was great, so I was happy to come back.

"I first heard about this when Matt Fox came out to the theatre I worked at three years ago because he said he'd love to have the USA premiere of his play there, then he mentioned the festival and invited me and some friends to come down. We did two shows there, one by Matt and one by Nina Sacco, who also wrote the show I'm doing this year on my own."

Festival founder Matt Fox and organiser Molly Campbell made sure the opening night ran smoothly.

Matt said: "This was the biggest launch night we've ever had, there was a really good turnout, so it should be a fabulous Fringe this year. 

"Quite a lot of people have come back to perform more shows and it's nice that they like this festival and think it's worth their time.

"Last year, we had a magician from Brazil who's been to fringe festivals all over the world and he said this was the friendliest one he'd been to, which really reflects well on Swindon."

Broccoli Pasta and Pizza, Burger Priest, Franklins, Soul Shack, and Indy’s Vegan Kitchen stayed open late to feed the revellers while Hop Kettle Brewing Company served refreshing ales, wines, ciders and soft drinks.

Acting centre manager of the Brunel Shopping Centre Jane Stewart was pleased with how packedsaid: "Matt and his team came to us while we were still building The Crossing and asked us if they could use the space when it was finished, they really saw its potential.

"We introduced the Fringe Festival to The Crossing last year and it went really well so I'm sure it will be fantastic this year, too, there's an amazing lineup of workshops and activities here.

"Though it's a food hub first and foremost, I'd like more people to consider it as a performance space and a place to host all sorts of entertainment."

For information on upcoming shows and to book tickets, visit swindonfringefestival.com