Comedy stars and award-winning theatre performers are set to entertain crowds at a 10-day festival in Banbury.

Tooley's Arts Festival, which coincides with Banbury's annual canal festival, will feature top local acts, festival favourites and award-winning theatre performances.

Its organisers, The Village Butty, have launched an art competition to celebrate the art of Banbury.

Anna Crockatt, one of the organisers, said: "We want everyone to be involved in the festival - not just the headline acts - so we are running a competition for art of all categories on the theme of Banbury and its canal.

"A sketch, a painting, a model, a rap, a song, a poem or any other kind of art you can think of."

Richard Guard, co-organiser, added: "There are prizes for the best adult and the best under-18.

"First prize is a blacksmith experience at Tooley's forge, and second prize is a trip for 12 on The Dancing Duck on the Oxford Canal.

"You don't need to be an established artist, you just have to have a go and get involved."

Entries must be submitted by midnight on Oct 12 to Thevillagebutty@gmail.com, with the winners being announced October 25.

The festival will begin on October 3 with an open evening in the Tooley's Boatyard Dry Dock.

On October 4, Mik Artistik's Ego Trip will bring their brand of music, comedy and performance to the dry dock as part of their nationwide tour.

October 5 will see the return of Whiskey Moon Face, featuring Ewan Bleach on clarinet and Dakota Jim Ydstie on double bass, led by singer Louisa Jones.

A day later, the dry dock will become a cinema for the evening, showing a variety of rarely-seen canal documentaries from the past.

In the afternoon on October 7, there will be a matinée performance of award winning theatre from Alarum Productions.

In the evening, Three Idle Women, who came together through a shared love for the Oxford Canal, will perform canal-based songs.

The Village Butty will invite songwriters and performers for an open mic night on October 9, offering the chance to perform in the centuries old dry dock.

Comedy night will take place on October 10 with Trevor Lock leading four other comedians, fresh from his performance at Edinburgh Fringe.

English folk music fans can look forward to a performance from award-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist, Nick Hart, on October 11.

Folk-rock band Leatherat will close the festival on Saturday, October 12, playing a special ‘unplugged’ set.

The Village Butty hopes to make Tooley’s Arts Festival an annual event.