FULL to the brim with literary talks, music, films, poetry, opera, dance, comedy and exhibitions, this year’s festival has something for everyone.

Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival will be showcasing the best of international as well as home-grown talent in the UK.

And this year the event welcomes performers from more than 20

nations.

Festival director Toby Smith said: “The festival covers all the arts and has everything from classical music to stand-up comedy and everything else in between.

“We have the best of international work coming here.”

There will also be a commemoration of the Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary with a Globe Theatre production of King John at Salisbury Cathedral.

The Maltings car park is set to be transformed into a crime scene as part of Betrayal: A Polyphonic Crime Drama, which combines music, dance and theatre. This, Toby says, offers audiences a different type of theatrical experience. “It’s not all about sitting in a seat and watching. It is creating a really special live experience.”

Last year’s festival attracted around 50,000 visitors, who are expected to turn out again for this year’s festival.

Festival chairman Laura Phillips added: “It is possible for someone to find everything for their taste. We think of the Middle East being very troubled, the festival celebrates the things that are wonderful about it.”

Following the success of last year’s opening choral project, Voices From No Man’s Land, this year’s event begins with the ambitious festival commission Market Songs, which celebrate the rich history of Salisbury as a market town.

It will take place around the city, culminating in a final grand performance in the market.

City Encounters also returns, continuing the celebrations of the

opening weekend. Last year this free event was a great success.

The festival is bursting with some of the most outstanding Middle-Eastern musicians, with performances from internationally-renowned Iranian sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat, as well as Mor Karbasi who fuses Jewish folk music with Spanish Flamenco and Moroccan sounds, and Mahan Esfahani.

And seven-piece band She’koyokh offer a unique, almost bohemian vibe, influenced by their various different heritages.

Adding to the 16-day festival will be a wide-selection of films. Australia’s leading circus company, Circa, returns to the festival with S, and circus ensemble Barely Methodical Troupe are set to wow audiences in Bromance. Gandini Juggling make a welcome return to the city in 4x4.

There will also be plenty on offer for families including Arabian Nights by Story Pocket Theatre and human beatboxer Shlomo.