Local MP Maria Miller was delighted to attend the launch of the 2015 Basingstoke Festival programme outside the Willis Museum on Friday 29 May. The launch began with a colourful procession up Wote Street, headed by a giant mechanical firebird, and was followed by music and dance performances by a number of local organisations on the Market Place.

Maria said: “This exciting launch today vividly demonstrates that this year’s Basingstoke Festival has moved to a new level in terms of the range and quality of the events and perfomances in the programme. With more than one hundred events to choose from, there really is something for everyone.”

Maria joined Cllr Cathy Osselton, Cllr Terri Reid, and representatives from Basingstoke arts organisations at the launch of the Festival programme. The Festival, which is supported by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Arts Council England, runs from 19 June to 12 July.

Full details are available at www.basingtokefestival.co.uk.