FINAL preparations are under way for Great Yarmouth's first international arts festival, Out There. Taking place from Thursday, October 30 to Sunday, November 2, the festival promises to be a fantastic time for everyone.

FINAL preparations are under way for Great Yarmouth's first international arts festival,

Out There.

Taking place from Thursday, October 30 to Sunday, November 2, the festival promises to be a fantastic time for everyone.

Organised by SeaChange Arts in association with Zap Art, nearly all the events over the four days are free and taking place outside.

As Yarmouth marks 800 years of

the granting of its charter by King John, the Out There festival celebrates with a programme of events and creations as exciting, colourful and international as eight centuries of Yarmouth history.

More than 100 professional performers and artists from Britain, France, Finland, Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, Cuba, Iceland, Portugal and Belgium will be entertaining people.

Many will be working with local people before the festival to produce work to perform.

There will be a festival village in Market Place featuring a performance tent, double-decker art bus - even a working Finnish sauna built especially for Out There with Finnish artists and local young people.

There's really something for everyone during Out There. Highlights will include:

Have-a-go creative workshops on the Thursday and Friday in Market Place and Christchurch, King Street.

A week-long exhibition of local artists' work in the Great Yarmouth Galleries.

A whole afternoon of crazy comedy and street arts in Market Place on Saturday, November 1.

A hilarious, family-friendly theatre performance from French theatre company Les Alama's Givres outside St George's Theatre on 4pm on Saturday, November 1.

A live music day featuring a

variety of local and international performers, including the finale of Norfolk Black History Month, on Sunday, November 2.

There's extra evening excitement during the week, with a performance by international artists and members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the Hippodrome on Thursday,

October 30, cabaret sessions

in the Festival Village on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1 and theatre shows both outside

and at various locations around the

town.

The highlight of the weekend's entertainment looks certain to be the tightrope walk by world-famous French artist Didier Pasquette, 15 metres above Market Place, from Palmers Department Store to Market Gates.

His show-stopping performance on Saturday at 6pm will end with a fabulous fire show and be heralded

by a community lantern parade from King Street to Market Place.

Out There has been given support by Yarmouth Borough Council, Norfolk County Council, the European Union and Enterprise GY.

For more information visit the website www.outtherefestival.com.

To receive a brochure, ring the

festival hotline on 01493 846488

(24 hours).