ART for the masses is returning to Kidderminster for an annual celebration of creativity, fun and public participation.

Kidderminster Arts Festival takes to the streets and venues including the town hall, beginning on Monday, July 24, running for two weeks until Saturday, August 5.

Loz Samuels, arts and play development officer with Wyre Forest District Council, which has organised the festival, said: "It's a bit different this year. We've got quite a lot of street performers, like we did last year but it's got a bit of an environmental theme."

That will be represented by "Podules" a free interactive exhibition at the town hall on Tuesday, August 1.

Miss Samuels said: "The podules are made of recyclable materials. They're huge organic structures. They have got smells and sounds inside them. They're very tactile but a bit different."

Other attractions at the festival, which has a mix of free and paid-for events, include street buskers and "Dancefest - Dancing in the Street", which takes place in various locations around the town centre on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 25.

Hoodwink Theatre make a return visit following their success at the last year's festival, with Miss Samuels describing them as "very slapstick". On Thursday, July 27, the troupe presents "Gastronomic", in which two waiters try to serve lunch to a lone diner but are thwarted by flies in the soup, exploding fish, runaway puddings and a table that walks off in disgust.

There is a variety of entertainment lined up for children, ranging from Bangers and Mash Theatre's presentation of Little Red Riding Hood, for four to eight-year-olds, on Monday, July 24, to a creative Do Day, at the town hall on Monday, July 31, for youngsters of all ages, with materials supplied.

Classical music is also on the menu, with Edward Small playing a programme including Schubert's Allegretto in C Minor and Liszt's Piano Sonata in B Minor at Kidderminster Library Gallery on Monday, July 24.

Movie enthusiasts will be able to watch Before Sunrise, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, again in Kidderminster Library Gallery, on Tuesday, July 25.

Anyone keen to learn a practical craft can try their hand at willow weaving outside De Bradelei Mills, Weavers Wharf, on Saturday, July 29, with items produced going towards protecting wildlife at Hurcott Pool nature reserve.

More information on Kidderminster Arts Festival is available on 01562 732984. Programmes of events are available on that number, at the town hall or district libraries.