A TOWN festival will go ahead 'virtually' this year with a brand new website being launched to showcase local talent and celebrate the arts.

Planning for Bicester Festival is in full swing as a programme of online performances and showcases are set to take place in September.

Residents will be able to take part in an array of creative activities leading up to the festival.

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Organised by a team of volunteers and supported by both Cherwell District Council and Bicester Town Council, Bicester Festival is entering its third year with this year’s theme: 'FIRE - keeping the flame alive'.

In the run up to the event, the Bicester Festival Facebook page will be regularly updated, demonstrating ways the community can play a part in the celebrations by getting creative at home.

Emma Doupé runs Evolve Vocal Studio in Bicester and also sits on the festival organising committee.

Ms Doupé said: “By hosting the festival online, we can hopefully utilise the digital world that we are living in, and connect to many more people, in more ways.

"We have seen people of all ages embracing technology and learning how to stay connected during Covid-19.

Bicester Advertiser:

"By launching this website, we can hopefully show how important the arts are in life, by collaborating and coming together to celebrate the arts and culture of this community.”

The Bicester Festival webpages will launch on Friday, September 18 to coincide with the first day of the event at www.bicesterfestival.org.

There will be live updates running throughout the weekend and the site will continue as a platform for Bicester’s creative community to celebrate and showcase local talent, and keep the creative flame burning throughout the year.

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Councillor Andrew McHugh, Cherwell’s lead member for health and wellbeing said: “The arts have played an important role in keeping spirits up during the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdown has seen a surge in people returning to creative pursuits, improving their skills as well as their wellbeing.

“Covid-19 has taught us all the need to be flexible and it’s great to see the Bicester Festival team has met the challenge head-on. Instead of cancelling the event, the organising committee has worked extremely hard to produce an interactive website, enabling residents to celebrate the arts in a safe and accessible way.”

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Bicester artists are now being invited to get in touch with ideas about how they may be able to use the platform, from live video content to online classes for people of all abilities.

Councillor Richard Mould, Chairman of the Policy Committee at Bicester Town Council said: "We are pleased to continue to work with Cherwell District Council and other partners to bring a virtual event to the people of the town. Although it is sad that physical events have been cancelled we are finding new ways to keep events going."

For more information, email Bicester.festival@cherwell-dc.gov.uk.

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You can also follow @BicesterFestival on Facebook and Instagram and @BicesterFest on Twitter for all the latest news, as well as ways to get involved with this year’s event.