ORGANISERS of the Corsham Festival have introduced a new way to enjoy some of the most original acts of the week.

The festival explorer involves buying a ticket for one of a number of selected events and the second ticket can be bought for half price for the same event.

Michael Cainen, marketing and programming administrator for the festival said: "This offer has been introduced this year to encourage people to go and see more exciting and adventurous events.

"Some of the acts are UK premieres so the music will be material that has never been heard before.

"This can sometimes put people off as they aren't sure what to expect but with the explorer there is the added incentive of an offer."

Events included in the festival explorer are Radius, a contemporary music group of four British composers, asamisimasa, a Norwegian group, Fiddlesticks and Irish pianist Mary Dullea and Julia Bardsley, who are performing an original piece with videos and music.

The explorers are also valid for Ensemblebash and Jonny's Midnight Goggles.

Another new move for the festival is a festival freedom saver costing £115, which allows the ticket holder to go to every event there is during the week.

This will save a third of the full price to see all of the events.

The explorer tickets and the freedom savers can be bought only by calling the box office and not online.

The box office number is (01249) 701628 and for more information on the acts log on to www.corshamfestival. org.uk.

The festival opens at 10am on Saturday with a parade led by school children from the town and nearby villages. It is expected to go on until 11.30am.