The countdown has begun for the Royston Arts Festival 2017 - and this year it’s all about ‘changes’.

Royston Crow: Carnival procession at Royston Arts Festival last year. Picture: Terry HartgaCarnival procession at Royston Arts Festival last year. Picture: Terry Hartga (Image: 2015)

The countdown has begun for the Royston Arts Festival 2017 - and this year it’s all about ‘changes’.

The three-day extravaganza of art and culture will include more than 30 events in the town centre from September 22 to 24.

Organisers Creative Royston will host a Community Arts Event & Ceilidh in the town’s Priory Memorial Gardens on the Saturday and workshops on offer include handbell ringing with Scrambells, knitting and crochet with No.3 Royston, pottery painting with Glazed Creations, and Brazilian Carnival Drumming with Garden City Samba – who will also be performing.

Other performances will come from Royston Town Development Band, and Molly Chenoa and her Music in a Nutshell students.

Singer-songwriter Molly said: “I think it’s really important to share our talents with each other and come together as a community to celebrate this.”

Also in the park, there will be free face painting with Glitterbox, Wobbly Wayne’s bouncy castles, drinks from Ad Hoc On The Road, and more.

Artist Paul Human will have a small exhibition, and graffiti artist Gnasher will be painting live in the park for a huge installation to go up at Greneway Middle School.

Creative Royston chairwoman Kirsten Grimmer said: “Following a challenging year of changes in 2016, for which the fallout is ever-present, we wanted to take this opportunity to focus on the positives of change.

“We always thrive on being able to open up the arts to the wider community and hope to attract new and old audiences with what we hope is a diverse programme of events. Not least the live graffiti art and the ceilidh dance, both firsts for the Royston Arts Festival.”

Graffiti artist, David ‘Gnasher’ Nash, said: “I have been discussing a potential project in the community with Creative Royston since moving here in 2016 but for various reasons it’s not happened yet.

“I was keen to get involved with the Festival somehow and the idea of creating something live during the community event seemed too good to miss. “Once Kirsten found a home for it, it was full steam ahead, ordering boards and designing a piece that will fit its forever home while serving as a reminder of the Arts Festival. You’ll have to come and see me paint on the day to see what it is.”

Movie fans can enjoy Royston’s first film festival as Creative Royston, in conjunction with Royston Picture Palace, put on a short season of film for the Changes Film Festival.

The films are Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story, Eye in the Sky – followed by expert Q&A on drone warfare – and The Journey.

For theatre fans, CADS presents Pygmalion is on from Thursday to Saturday, September 21 to 23, at Meridian School, and youth theatre company Divergent Theatre will perform Scenes from Arabian Nights at Royston Fringe at the methodist church on September 23.

Royston MusicFest returns on Sunday, September 24, at 10 venues across town. Each venue will host up to five sessions throughout the afternoon, creating 50 mini concerts.

From solo artists to six-piece bands, they all come from the Herts and Cambs music scene.

For the full programme and more information about this year’s festival see www.creativeroyston.org.