WITH only hours left before the first Worcester Festival bursts into life, a nervous anticipation is building up for Chris Jaeger and his team at Huntingdon Arts.

It's been non-stop for them. They've had a busy season at Huntingdon Hall, the Swan Theatre has just had a sell-out run of Annie Get Your Gun and now comes the festival.

"We're very excited but there's a sense of anticipation that you get before something's about the start," said Mr Jaeger.

"You feel nervous about whether its going to work but you're looking forward to it."

On the one hand, Mr Jaeger is hoping the weather holds for the outdoor events during the two-week festival, but, on the other, then people are less likely to turn up for the indoor events in the heat.

In any event, the opening of the festival tomorrow will take over the city centre with the Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards, usually seen outside Buckingham Palace, accompanied by Chinese Lion Dancers.

"I wanted something that everybody could see and not have to pay for," he said.

"I also wanted something spectacular so it was a natural choice."

The band will also be giving a concert in the evening at College Hall, College Green, near Worcester Cathedral.

The band is a case in point for how much work goes on behind the scenes.

Not only did staff at Huntingdon Arts have to carry out risk assessments for health safety, but they had to inform Special Branch because the band is considered to be a high-risk target.

Thrown into the organisation issues, too, were the police and council procedures to close off the city centre in the middle of Saturday afternoon.

"We had to re-write some of the route because their trombone section is about 6ft 4ins and the bearskin hats are 2ft 2ins, so you need about 9ft clearance," said Mr Jaeger.

Then there was the case of the firework finale, for which the RSPCA and National Farmer's Union had to be informed and all pet owners warned through the Evening News.

After all this the question has to be, why go to all this trouble?

"We all believe Worcester should have a festival," said Mr Jaeger.

"It's a growing, thriving city and it should have one.

"It also goes back to last year's Three Choirs Fringe Festival which was a huge success. But having a festival only once every three years means you lose the expertise and you have to start from scratch every time.

"Originally we didn't want to run it. We wanted to act as box office for something run by the city council."

However, the city council didn't have the structures in place to run a festival and the logical road led to Huntingdon Arts, although Mr Jaeger insists the festival isn't just about the arts.

By mixing local and national talent, he hopes it will offer something for everybody.

"You can't start absolutely huge, you have to start safe," he said.

"You've got to make it a success and then build on that, which we will do next year."