Thursday September 27 RAVA Town Centre Competition Venue: various venues around the town. Royston Area Visual Artists invite you to Find the Crow – look for them in local shop windows. Entry forms in the Royston Crow newspaper, competition runs th

Thursday September 27

RAVA Town Centre Competition

Venue: various venues around the town. Royston Area Visual Artists invite you to Find the Crow - look for them in local shop windows. Entry forms in the Royston Crow newspaper, competition runs throughout the festival weekend, prizes for the winners. Free

An Evening with Local Authors

Venue: Royston Library. 7.30pm.

Talks by two writers - Sarah Harrison (novelist: The Flowers of the Field) and Nick Warburton (playwright and TV scriptwriter) - including Q&A session.

Refreshments. Tickets available from Royston library or take your chance on the door as numbers are restricted. Free

Royston Fringe: an Evening of Cabaret

Venue: NU Bar Venue. 7.30pm (doors open). Featuring local talent, including stand-up comic and poet Jude Simpson fresh from her appearance at this year's Edinburgh Festival, plus musical entertainment. Licensed bar. Tickets on the door. £3.

Friday September 28

An Evening of Comedy

Venue: Greneway School. 7.30 pm. CADS (Corvus Amateur Drama Society) presents two one-act comedies: What's for Pudding? by David Tristram, and Ghost Writer by Nick Warburton. Tickets from CADS Box Office 01763 242906 or on the door. £4.

Local Bands Night

Venue: NU Bar Venue. 8.30pm (doors open). Special live music event featuring four of Royston's best bands Kingston Born, Fugazirum, Sound Junkies and Rotating Leslie. Licensed bar. Tickets on the door. £3

Saturday September 29

Storytelling and Song

Market Hill Rooms. 9.30am-noon.

9.30am-10am. Storytelling for children aged 5-10. 10.10am-11am

Singing workshop with Little Voices for under-8s. 11.15am-noon. Stories and rhymes for the under- 5s. Children MUST be accompanied by adults at all sessions. Tickets available from the Stationery Cupboard or take your chance on the door as numbers are restricted. Free

Royston Arts Society Annual Exhibition

Town Hall. 10am-5pm.

Exhibition of more than 300 paintings and drawings by talented local artists, including many for sale. Refreshments available. Free (programmes £1)

Patchwork and Quilting Exhibition

Masonic Hall. 10am-4pm. Exhibition of local quilts and the opportunity to see members working on a variety of projects. Tickets on the door. £1 (children free).

Bach to the Future

Greneway School.10am-4pm. Have fun singing with the Royston Choral Society under the direction of a professional conductor and rehearse a piece to be performed later in the day. Tickets available from Val Hirst (01763 224982). £6.

Colouring In: Artwork by Anstey Garrick Green & Falcon Green

Royston Museum. 10am-5pm. Exhibition of work by two prominent local artists in different media and contrasting styles. No ticket required.Free.

Children's Art Workshops

Royston Museum. 10.30am-12.30pm. Anstey Garrick Green leads two art workshops for children (10.30am-11.15am and 11.45am-12.45pm). Tickets available from the Stationery Cupboard or on the door, but numbers strictly limited to 15 children each session so advance booking is essential. Free.

Photographic Portrait Sessions & Exhibition

Market Hill Rooms. 12noon-4pm. Free mini-exhibition of work by members of Royston Photographic Society and the chance to have your portrait taken (purchase not essential, but portraits available to buy from £2 upward according to size).

Meet Royston Writers Circle

Royston Library. 12noon-4pm. Display of writings, short readings of work and a chance to meet members and find out what they do. Free.

Open Studios

21 Morton Street, Royston.1pm-5pm. Exhibition by local photographer Terry Hartga in his own home, offering viewers the chance to look anew at apparently ordinary objects. No ticket required. Free

Printing Press Demonstration

Royston Museum. 1.30pm-4.30pm. Find out how printing was done in the days before computers with a demonstration of the historic Royston Crow printing press by Liz Beardswell. Free.

Grand Festival Concert

Royston Parish Church. 7.30pm. A special concert celebrating local musical talent, featuring the Royston Town Band, the Priory Singers and the Youth Choir in a varied programme. Tickets available from the Stationery Cupboard or on the door. £5.

Tri*Funk Presents: a Night of Electronic Music

NU Bar Venue. 8.30pm (doors open). Tri*Funk turns the spotlight on DJs and music producers displaying talent.

Evening runs from 9pm until late. Licensed bar. Tickets on door. £3

Sunday September 30

Royston Arts Society Annual Exhibition

Town Hall. 10am-5pm (See Saturday for details)

Patchwork and Quilting Exhibition

Venue: Town Hall. 10am-4pm £1 (children free) (See Saturday for details)

Open Studios

21 Morton Street, Royston. 11am-4pm.

Exhibition by photographer Terry Hartga and painter/photographer Sue Hartga in their own home. Free

Photographic Portrait Sessions & Exhibition

Corn Exchange. 12noon-4pm. (See Saturday for details)

Colouring In: Artwork by Anstey Garrick Green & Falcon Green

Royston Museum 2pm-4.45pm. (See Saturday for details)

Guided Town Trail Walk

Meet at Royston Church. 2.30pm. See the town's history brought to life on this walk around Royston in the company of local historian F John Smith. Tickets from Brenda Cottis (01763 241812). Booking essential as numbers are restricted. £2 (children £1)

Music in the Park

Priory Memorial Gardens. 3pm. Royston Town Band.

- For more details on any of the events, call Kathy Wholley on

01763 223805 or e-mail info@roystonartsfest.org or visit the website at www.roystonartsfest.org