THOUSANDS of visitors flocked to the 43rd Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival to enjoy the variety of international and UK talent on show.

This year’s 16-day festival, which ran from May 22 to June 6, was full to the brim with acts from more than 20 countries. The event was also a celebration of Middle Eastern traditions and culture.

Big names included John Cleese, Rory Bremner, Omid Djalili, the London Philharmonic Orchestra (main picture) and The Globe Theatre to name a few. Festival attractions included music, films, literary talks, opera, comedy, dance, theatre and circus acts.

Festival director Toby Smith said: “I am really delighted. We have had brilliant feedback from across the whole range of events from the free events all the way through to the circus, theatre and music events — everything really. Everything exceeded my expectations.”

The final visitor figures are still to be confirmed but are expected to be on a par with last year’s festival, which saw more than 50,000 visitors come to the city.

Mr Smith added: “I would say at the very least we have attracted the same number if not more. We certainly sold more tickets than last year."

The boost in ticket sales, he says, has been helped by a number of the performances running across multiple nights instead of just one.

The Maltings car park was transformed into a murder scene in Betrayal: A Polyphonic Crime Drama, which combines music dance and theatre. The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta was also celebrated in Shakespeare’s King John at Salisbury Cathedral.

Preparations are already under way for the 2016 Salisbury International Arts Festival. The programme is expected to be announced in spring 2016.