IT'S festival season in Winchester this month as the city's second series of summer events in under a week starts on Friday.

The Seventh Winchester Festival gets underway on Friday with a programme geared towards music, drama, literature and the visual arts.

Featuring everything from opera to children's music and stage performances to readings, the festival draws in crowds of thousands from across Hampshire and beyond.

Highlights this year look sure to be appearances by former politician Douglas Hurd, husband and wife team Prunella Scales and Timothy West, and a talk by the BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson.

There will also be the chance for people to see exhibits by well-known local artists including a display of sculptures put together by the members of the Hampshire Sculpture Trust, and a show by glass-maker Will Shakespeare at the Candover Gallery in Alresford.

The festival opens with a performance in Winchester Cathedral of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and runs until Sunday, July 18.

For further details and ticket information, visit www.winchesterfestival.co.uk