CULTURE vultures are gearing up for 17 straight days of events, starting tomorrow (Friday).

THE Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council-organised Basingstoke Festival will run to Sunday, 7 July, with a theme of ‘art in unexpected places’.

A silent 1980s-themed disco event at the Willis Museum will provide the jumping off point for this year’s festival, to coincide with a new exhibition, I Grew Up 80s.

A new partnership with Without Walls Touring Network will see a show during the festival by trampolinist Max Calaf in The Malls, and Mirror Mirror, performed by theatre company Mind The Gap.

Elsewhere, artists will also be on display, with local talent Sian Storey, Junko O’Neill and the students of Queen Mary’s College all putting on workshops.

Shakespeare plays, from Proteus and the Festival Players, will be performed and The Vyne Community School will host comedy drama Shell Shock and A Bitesized Conversation, by Break The Wall and Fluid Motion.

The Art in Unusual Places event will be taking place this Saturday from 10am.

Free activities organised by Basingstoke Together, like face painting, sand-sculpting, craft tables and walk-about entertainment will be happening in The Malls, Festival Place and across the Top of The Town.

This will form part of the Art in Unusual Places event taking place this Saturday from 10am.

A full list of events can be found in brochures around the area or on basingstokefestival.co.uk.

The festival ends with B LOVE in War Memorial Park.

Cabinet member for communities, culture and partnerships, Councillor Simon Bound, said: “Every year the festival gets bigger and better and we are very excited about what’s ahead. There are many talented locals from Basingstoke and Deane, many of whom studied in the borough, playing a key role.”

”