Performers and artists are waiting in the wings for the fourth annual Abingdon Arts Festival, which starts on March 2.

Over the next five weeks, nearly 2,000 performers and artists will display their talents at 64 performances. The festival opens with a dinner at the Upper Reaches Hotel, Abingdon, featuring an auction of literary memorabilia, including an American first edition of Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass.

The festival is run by the Abingdon Performing Arts Group Enterprise, with financial support from the town council, Vale of White Horse District Council, Abingdon Chamber of Commerce and Market Place magazine.