The Chippenham Folk Festival got off to a flying start today with a display of dancing by children from eight primary schools.

An extra 5,000 people are expected in Chippenham over this bank holiday weekend, eager to see the colourful and varied performances and displays.

A cold and wet day was brightened this afternoon by the opening display from primary school pupils showing off what they had learned in their morning workshops in morris dancing, country dancing, longsword and maypole.

Their different coloured school jumpers intermingled as they skipped around the Neeld Hall to the fiddle and accordion.

Liz Jones, who has organised the schools display for seven years, said: “It’s such a nice way to start the festival. We’ve been doing this for at least 20 years but we’ve had a bit of a coup this year with the workshop leaders.

"One of them, Kim Woodward, took part in the Olympic closing ceremony with a morris dance team. And the band playing are A-level students from Stroud who have come in the middle of their exams.

“Normally the volunteers are all elderly but it’s good for the children to also have some role models that aren’t grey-haired like me.”

Evie Parley, 10, from Frogwell School in Chippenham, said: “It’s good dancing with the other schools. You get to see people that you saw here last year.”

Fellow Frogwell pupil Georgina Stewart, 10, won the competition to design a badge for the folk festival.

The other schools involved were Monkton Park, Queen’s Crescent and Ivy Lane in Chippenham, Stanton St Quintin, Seagry, Walter Powell in Great Somerford and Gastrells in Stroud.

There will be an array of workshops in traditional dance in festival venues throughout the town on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings.

Bob Berry, festival director for the past 18 years, said: “There is a lot more to the festival than just morris dancing; there are about 200 events.”

His own band, Tinkers Bag, will be performing their 60s music at the festival for the first time in eight years to fill a void after a few artists had to drop out due to health problems.

“We’ve had a few with laryngitis, stomach problems and Sid Calderbank has sadly had a heart attack,” said Mr Berry. “He’s okay, but because a couple of artists have had to drop out it means my band will be playing. When we first played in 1986 they asked us to run the festival.”