A POPULAR music festival will be returning this weekend.

Organisers of the Shipston Proms are excited for another year of live music, from reggae and jazz to opera and rock and roll.

The Proms will begin this Saturday (June 17), where it will welcome its SKA Launch Night which will see acts like PAPA NUI and Hope and Glory perform.

Other acts throughout the day include Shipston Town Band, Newbold on Stour the Gospel Bell Blues Band, Paul Cowley and Tiresias' Children.  

Worcester News: Crowds filled the streets of Shipston on the final night of last year's Proms.Crowds filled the streets of Shipston on the final night of last year's Proms. (Image: Shipston Proms)

Susan Perry, one of the event organisers, said: "Shipston Prom started in the late 1990s and celebrated local musicians for a week, and now this has extended across two weeks.

"We had a few local people and local celebrities, and it has just grown to us having international artists on the last night for example."

For the final night of the festival weekend (July 1), King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys will be headlining.

For the first time in the event’s history, an opera performance will be sung by locals Anna Patalong and Benedict Nelson.

There will also be the opportunity to get hands-on, with a Taiko drumming workshop led by Teresa Brooks taking place up in Newbold.

Shipston Introducing will also make a return, which aims to provide a platform for local bands.

Worcester News: King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys will headline Shipston Proms 2023.King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys will headline Shipston Proms 2023. (Image: Shipston Proms)

Held on the first Sunday of the festival, competition winners will win a place on the final night bill.

Mrs Perry added that the platform Shipston Introducing has provided some artists like Brickston Ally with an international platform - in Brickston Ally's case they are now a popular band in Australia.

"People really magnet to the high street where there are hundreds of people," Mrs Perry added.

"It is a nice summer vibe and what you expect from a festival but smaller."

Tickets for all shows will be through Eventbrite or Clarks Electrical on the High Street. 

A complete programme of events will be on www.shiptonproms.org shortly, with further updates on the festival's Facebook Page.