ONCE again Devizes will have an array of star performers and musicians in the town appearing at the Street Festival on bank holiday Monday.

Admission is free to the event which takes place in the centre of the town.

Ian Hopkins, carnival chairman, said: "We get people coming from all over Wiltshire and from Bath to the Devizes Street Festival. The vibe we get from people is that Devizes is the best place to spend bank holiday Monday with the non-stop entertainment that is on offer."

Members of the carnival committee scour Europe for the best street performers.

Mr Hopkins personally recruited French band National 13 after hearing them play during a weekend in France.

He said: "They played really beautiful jazz music in a bar. I was knocked over by them so I invited them to play at the Devizes Street Festival and they are delighted at the prospect."

Mr Hopkins said the street festival attracted top performers due to the reputation the event has gained.

He said: "Every performer we have had wants to come back, we have a waiting list of artists that want to come back and perform.

"The artists say they like performing in Devizes because it's got a friendly atmosphere and it's like playing on the continent."

Headlining the Market Place Stage (outside HSBC) will be Heir of Insanity, a group of acrobats. They thrilled the crowds when they performed three years ago on a 22-foot high trapeze ring.

Mr Hopkins said: "We had so many requests from the public to bring Heir of Insanity back. Their performance here three years ago was fantastic and people had not seen anything like it before. They are so in demand that we had to book them a year ago."

Other performers at the street festival are Fraser Hooper, one of the most respected clowns on the national and international circuit. He lives in West Lavington.

As always there will be strolling performers including Icarus, two Australians who will be dressed as eight foot tall kangaroos and bouncing across the Market Place thanks to the springs in their legs.

Headlining the music stage outside the Corn Exchange will be Kissmet, an East-West band. Full details are in the Devizes Carnival programme. Copies are on sale at various shops in Devizes price £1.