EXCITEMENT levels are building ahead of Corsham's eagerly anticipated Blue Sky Festival as more than 100 local children joined a UK beat boxing champion to launch the extravaganza.

Although the third annual festival gets underway on Tuesday, June 13, the Blue Sky choir joined UK champion beat boxer Grace Savage for a rehearsal at the Pounds Art Centre on Tuesday to give a taste of what the six-day festival has in store.

Over the course of the festival, which will take place at the Pound, the town's High Street, the Springfield Campus and the Methuen Centre, guests will be treated to headliners Ninebarrow, nominees at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, comedian Lucy Porter, intimate theatre-in-a-caravan from The Paper Birds and much more.

Sophie Moysey, deputy director of Pound Arts, said: "As a small charity, we are delighted with this year’s big programme of such varied performances and great headlining acts that are set to give audiences an experience they won’t forget.

"Blue Sky Festival is set in such a beautiful and unique location it makes experiencing the arts even more enjoyable. We hope that all members of the family will find something that they can enjoy and the support for this independent Festival sees it continue to go from strength to strength."

There will also be a family Spectacular Science Show from Mark Thompson, improvised comedy theatre with Austentatious, occasional supergroup Gas Giants, featuring Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory, acclaimed singer-songwriter Bella Hardy and there is also a wild weekend of free participatory activities as well.

Attendees can also take part in workshops and activities, as well as enjoying a host of theatre, music and visual arts too.

Corsham Festivals is the events strand of Pound Arts, which has been created to promote the artistic side of North Wiltshire. As well as the Blue Sky Festival in June, which is a celebratory family festival featuring many free events, they also run the Magic and Mayhem, a festival of cabaret and contemporary arts in November.

A Pounds Art spokesman added: "We are very grateful to the Arts Council in England, Wiltshire Council and Corsham Town Council for our core funding."

For more information and to book tickets visit www.blueskyfestival.org.uk or call 01249 701628.