THE annual Bungay Summer Festival is set to dominate the town in July as more than 40 varied cultural, fun, musical, sporting and informative events are scheduled to take place.

THE annual Bungay Summer Festival is set to dominate the town in July as more than 40 varied cultural, fun, musical, sporting and informative events are scheduled to take place.

Popular attractions such as the weekly ale trial, the antiques street fair - this time including a Bungay's Got Talent contest - kids fun day, country market, horticultural show and Shakespeare at the Castle, are joined by a number of new events, which means the festival runs over three weeks instead of the usual two.

New ones include a junior photographic competition, a concert by the Leiston Royal British Legion Band, a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, the 75th anniversary of the St John Ambulance in Bungay celebrations, the festival dinner with Alice in Bungleland, a Teddy Bears' Picnic, a concert by the Norwich Mozart Orchestra, a flower festival at Holy Trinity Church and the town reeve's Summer Ball at the Castle. Events at the Fisher Theatre are also woven into the programme.

As always there will be something for all ages and all tastes to make it a truly community festival which the Festival Committee, under chairman Betty Warnes, will also bring many visitors into Bungay.

She said: “Once again Bungay is using the month of July to show to residents and visitors what the town has to offer, and to that end most organisations, societies, clubs and churches are staging a special event,” she said. And she urged the town to come out and support them.

It starts on July 3 with the traditional opening ceremony at the castle, where the town reeve, John Groom, and the mayor, Simon Woods, will raise the Bigod Flag at 10.30am.

And it ends on Sunday, July 25, with the festival Songs of Praise followed by the ceremonial lowering of the flag.

The first week of events:

July 3 - Opening Ceremony at the Castle, 10.30am; Country Market at the Butter Cross, 8.30am-noon; Kids Fun Day, Old Grammar School field, 11am,-5pm; Concert by the Royal British Legion band, St Mary's Church, 7pm; Bungay Theatre Group production, Fisher Theatre, 7.30pm; Black Dog Arts garden art trail, 11am-3pm.

Sunday July 4 - Youth football tournament, Maltings Meadow Sports Club, 10.30am-4pm; Mad Hatters' Tea Party, Three Willows Garden Centre, 2-4pm; singer Declan Neyney at the Fisher Theatre, 7.30pm.

Monday, July 5 - Come and Try Running, Maltings Meadow Sports Centre, 6-7pm; Celebrating 75 years of St John Ambulance in Bungay, St John's HQ, Lower Olland Street, 7-9pm.

Tuesday, July 6 - Bungay Festival Ale Trail, meet at the Castle Inn, Earsham Street, 7.30pm; My Sweet Patootie at the Fisher Theatre, 7.30pm.

Thursday, July 8 - Display of St John's Through the Ages, Emmanuel Church, 9.30-11.30am; A Musical evening at St Edmund's Catholic Church, with the Bungay Choral Society and St Edmund's Choir, 7pm.

Friday, July 9 - Festival Dinner, with a performance of Alice in Bungleland, Fisher Theatre, 7 for 7.30pm.

Copies of the full programme of events are available at the council offices in Broad Street, the Fisher Theatre and most shops.