Many of the events taking place during the two-week long festival, running from Saturday, June 21 to Sunday, July 6 will take place at the Maltings Arts Theatre.

Top soul singer, Ola Onabule will headline the event with a performance on Saturday, June 21.

An intimate setting with cabaret seating will be provided for the audience to get up close and personal and experience his impressive vocal range and friendly rapport.

Classical music fans can enjoy two lunchtime recitals.

On Wednesday, June 25, cello and piano duo, Clare Deniz and Hisayo Shimizu, will give a performance of works by Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin.

And on Wednesday, July 2, Janet Marsh's chamber music ensemble will transport you to the brilliant, passionate and graceful world of European Baroque with works by Bach, Telemann, Loeillet and Quantz.

The Laughter Lounge Saturday night stand-up comedy event for over 16's opens for a special festival gig on Saturday, June 28, with comedian Kevin Precious hosting and three comedians from the London circuit.

Children will enjoy the Big Ugly Monster, on Saturday, June 28.

The following day Steph West, Jan Strapp and Kate Rouse will hold a day of folk workshops and there will also be a concert from The New Rope String Band.

Making a song and dance out of The Bard's work, OVO theatre company will stage a production of Twelfth Night: The Musical, on Tuesday, July 1.

On Thursday, July 3, Guy Masterson will present his definitive and much-loved production of Under Milk Wood.

He will also provide something special for US Independence Day with a Friday, July 4 presentation of American Poodle, a comical take on the special relationship between the UK and America.

For poetry fans Maggie Butt will preside over St Albans' Ver Poets Open Poetry Competition and read from her collection Lipstick, on Saturday, July 5.

And in the evening Martin Newell, the most published living poet in the UK, will then present an evening of live poetry.

Tickets for all these events are available from the box office on
01727 844222.