THE Harwich community has been invited to get involved with a summer festival which is returning to the town this year.

The Harwich Festival 2019, which runs from Thursday June 20 to Sunday June 30, is now open to all participants.

Peter Davis, festival boss, said: "We are constructing a complete tableau everyone can help contribute to and build.

"Our focus is getting the whole community involved, without which it would not work.

"The festival is a celebration of what local people want, whether it’s taking part in our string of community-based events or coming along to see musicians, artists and performers at the top of their game and who they may not have seen before.

"Our driving principle is to encourage all individuals to come together to build one great whole."

Everyone is again invited to submit works for the popular 20cm x 20cm Open Exhibition, the Sea Windows Competition and the Harwich Shorts Film Festival open to all independent film makers.

Turning Over A New Leaf, a celebration of the beauty of nature, will be a public art project where local people can create colourful textile leaves to form a magical vine draped around Ha’penny Pier.

Dancers of all styles are invited to join in The Dance We Made at Cliff Park on Saturday morning June 22.

Tickets are now on sale for a wide-ranging programme of concerts embracing classical music, folk, jazz and musical theatre.

Among the highlights will be performances by world-renowned concert pianist Norika Ogawa, duo Jacob And Drinkwater, the Ben Crosland Quintet jazz supergroup playing selections from Kinks frontman Ray Davies’ Songbook Volume 2, and A Touch Of The West End in which Broadway and London singing star Earl Carpenter will present songs from Les Miserables and Phantom Of The Opera.

The spoken and written word will be celebrated in a performance of King Lear by Dramatic Pause Productions at the Redoubt, the return of the ever-popular Poetry Cruise on the River Stour, and Poetry On A Postcard, in which local writers are urged to compose poems for decking in windows and open spaces throughout Harwich and Dovercourt.

Peter added: "Our aim is to keep pushing boundaries everyone can help achieve.

"Together with the new Harwich Arts And Heritage Centre, we want to build something that will develop local talent now and for the future."

For information on and tickets for the Harwich Festival, go to harwichfestival.co.uk.