The eighty-fourth Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts is now just a few weeks away. This year's Festival begins on Wednesday 5th May, and thousands of competitors (of all ages!) will once again attend the annual celebration of music, drama and dance.

All classes can be watched by members of the public and spectator tickets cost just £2 a day, excellent value for money I'm sure you'll agree. The piano syllabus is available to view here, and I hope local readers will be able to enjoy some of the performances.

UPDATE:

Cheltenham Borough Council has today announced that from 2012 it will no longer pay the £24,000 cost of hiring the Town Hall for the twelve-day Festival. This decision will almost certainly mean the event can no longer take place, as it won't have a home.

The Festival has welcomed almost a quarter of a million performers to the Town Hall since 1926. A number of internationally-renowned judges have called for the Council to rethink its decision, and the Gloucestershire Echo has launched a campaign to save it.

Steve Jordan, Liberal Democrat councillor and leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, has said that the Festival must be 'sustainable' in light of the current financial climate. A petition has been set up to save the event, and anyone wishing to sign can do so online.