MANY music, drama, poetry and dance acts feature in the Devizes Festival 2004 programme, which has just been published.

The festival has brought a wide range of first-class professional acts to the town over the last 22 years, and the organising committee has been able to keep ticket prices low thanks to the generosity of its sponsors.

This year the major sponsor is once again the town's brewer, Wadworth & Co, with other sponsorship coming from Kennet District Council, Devizes Town Council, Mark Wilkinson Furniture, Latchways, the Gazette and Herald, Reeve the Baker, Roses the Ironmongers, Spirit Clothing, David Owen & Co accountants, Cross Manufacturing, Terry's the Chemists, Awdry, Bailey and Douglas solicitors, Lane and Tatham wine brokers, Wansbroughs solicitors, The Lamb Inn, the Bear Hotel and Frantiques.

The festival begins on Wednesday June 9 with an illustrated lecture on the Roman fort of Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall and continues with a tribute to jazz legends Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt.

Classical music is represented by the return of young pianist Tom Poster, organist David Halls, The Martinu Quintet, Naked Voices a cappella group and Music for Awhile with an evening of Johann Sebastian Bach.

There is plenty of jazz, blues, and other forms of popular music and comedy is on offer with stand-up comic Dominic Holland.

There are workshops on boogie-woogie piano and acoustic and electric guitar.

There is a visit from agenda-setting author Germaine Greer on June 24 at the town hall, when she will sign books for members of the audience.

Renowned historian Philip Ziegler discusses the career of Lord Sidmouth, the only Devizes MP to become Prime Minister, at the town hall on June 19.

At the Wharf Theatre Lucy Plested and Alec Brown will appear in Flamingo Flamingo Flamingo and the children's show Upstairs in the Sky will be performed.

But the main programme has formed only half of the festival in recent years. The free fringe events are also immensely popular and this year the list includes a family dance at the sports club featuring the band Soul Commotion.

Then there is a piano recital with Tom Hartley at St John's Church, Emma Hutchinson Quartet in concert in the Bear Hotel cellar bar, All Aboard featuring actress Kim Hicks in the Bear Hotel ballroom, and Banoffi in concert at the Lamb Inn.

The Lamb, as usual, is the venue for many other musical treats, including lunchtime blues with Gilly Darbey and the Daniel Smith Boogie-Woogie Show.

The festival programme is available from outlets all over town.