SALISBURY Festival 2004 will climax with a grand family fireworks fiesta as the organisers prepare the finishing touches to what promises to be a sparkling programme of events.

The festival will run from Saturday May 22 to Sunday June 6 and will be the fourth under director, Trevor Davies, who promises that it will maintain its trademark mix of all that is best in tradition, innovation, a worldwide perspective and diversity and colour.

By programming the fireworks on the last weekend of the festival, the organisers are hoping to give the event greater prominence and this, they promise, will be reflected in the musical line-up for the evening.

For the 2004 festival, music will take centre stage with a selection of international orchestras, choirs, chamber and world musicians visiting the city, plus the appearance of one of the best loved opera singers in the world. The festival is also looking to produce a new commission especially for Salisbury Cathedral's choristers.

Theatre, dance and circus will again feature with performances from around the world. People from across the region will be getting involved in the festival's unfolding visual arts project In Praise of Earth. There is a visit planned from a writer that should have audiences queuing round the block, and children will have their own programme of events during the half-term week.

Trevor Davies said that last year's Salisbury Festival was "a wonderful experience, and I hope and believe it was for audiences as well." He continues, "We are determined to continue building on the things we do best, for example, the highest quality music and theatre.

"This is as well as continuing to introduce ground-breaking new elements that are also near to people's hearts - visual arts and environment, a world perspective and a glimpse of the joyfully unexpected."

Preceding the festival is the annual Salisbury Live event, a weekend when the city's pubs and clubs are taken over by local bands giving free performances.

Bands who wish to take part in Salisbury Live should contact Jonathan on 07813 130331, or Colin on 07799 553 889, to book a slot.