CHEPSTOW again hosts an ambitious programme in their annual town arts festival, which runs for four weeks and features a mass of over 80 events, presented at venues throughout the town, and in the surrounding villages.

Starting this week on Thursday night (June 19) with Rain Or Shine theatre company presenting, in the castle, their version of Treasure Island, this is followed by two Shakespeare plays over the weekend, Twelfth Night (Friday June 20), and A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is actually to be performed on midsummers night, Saturday June 21, this time presented by the Oddsocks Theatre company.

Saturday at the Rugby Club also sees the Give It Away Take It Away event, where the people of Chepstow are invited to bring any unwanted, but still useful, items and materials – and to take away any items or materials that they can make use of.

Meanwhile, on Sunday the River Wye plays host to a duck race – with an estimated 1,000 yellow plastic ducks taking to the course. The event is a fundraiser for SARA, and begins at 3.30pm.

Other street events in the town include the Town Band playing in Beaufort Square, while the bandstand plays host to Beatles tribute band, The Beat Goes On, which starts at 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon.

Opera fans may wish to note that a screening of a live performance of Puccini's first opera, Manon Lescaut, which is being broadcast from the Covent Garden Opera House on Tuesday 24 at 7pm, at the Drill Hall.

Also next week are a varied selection of different events, including a guided walk around Sedbury, an evening walk around Mathern, while the Arts Hall at Chepstow Leisure Centre is the venue for the Chepstow Choral Society Summer Festive Celebrations, featuring 'choral classics' plus music from the Kempton String Ensemble, and the event will also feature baritone Michael Lowe, on Tuesday evening (June 25).

The following weekend, June 28/29 sees a performance of Roald Dahl's classic: George's Marvellous Medicine in Chepstow Castle on Saturday , while the Castle Inn holds a Welsh Medieval Banquet, featuring 'legendary Welsh opera diva' The Rt Mme Rhondda Tannoy, on Sunday evening.

Other forthcoming events included in the packed programme for the festival are a Proms In The Castle concert, organised by Chepstow Rotary Club, showcasing musical talent from the Chepstow area, and featuring local school choirs and orchestras, on Wednesday July 2. The following evening sees the Illyria theatre company presenting their own version of The Pirates of Penzance. The same evening sees Chepstow Bookshop presenting local railway expert, and author, Neil Parkhouse presenting a talk on 'West Gloucester and Wye Valley Lines', at the Drill Hall. One major centrepiece of the festival will be at the racecourse on July 11, when it plays host to a special raceday concert from the legendary Tom Jones. Full details of the extensive programme of events for the 2014 festival can be found at: http://www.chepstowfestival">www.chepstowfestival. co.uk.

Tickets for all events are available from the festival box office, at Chepstow Museum, or on 01291 625981.