THOUSANDS of tourists have flocked to Worcester as festival fever has taken hold of the city - with more entertainment still to come.

The Three Choirs Festival, which concluded yesterday with a sell-out concert of classical music at Worcester Cathedral, has been hailed a huge success - attracting people from across the world.

Festival chairman Paul Vaughan said: "In my view the quality of music was far higher than I've ever known it in recent years and I think the critics have agreed.

"The great thing is that lots of different ages and types of people have come."

By staging a more diverse programme, the festival has appealed to more people, added Mr Vaughan. "It's helped enormously," he said. The Three Choirs success has also been matched by a "truly amazing" first week of the Worcester Festival 2005 - which runs until August 29.

About 20,000 people attending the first 149 events of the three-week festival, with sell-out shows including Irish dance act Celtic Feet at the Swan Theatre.

And more than 350 children have been banishing the summer holiday boredom by attending dance, theatre, art and sports workshops.

Worcester Festival director Chris Jaeger said: "There can be no doubt that this really is the biggest and best Worcester Festival to date."

Movie season offers some classic treats

THEATRE, art and drama are just some of the entertainment on offer throughout August as the award-winning Worcester Festival proves to be bigger and better than ever before.

In its third year, the annual event has promised to stage activities suitable for all tastes and organisers say its film season, which is due to start today, will be a delight for movie buffs.

As well as showing a host of classics, the short dance film (12 minutes long) Infirmary will be shown before every movie screening during the festival.

A festival spokeswoman said: "Shot entirely on location inside the now abandoned Worcester Royal Infirmary, the film fuses together emotive dance and sounds to reveal the essence of a building in its deserted state of emptiness."

The film was made by a collaboration of artists and creative groups including Worcester Arts Workshop, the Angel Dance Company Lab and University College Worcester.

Filmed and produced by Worcester filmmaker Matt Dukes with music and poetry readings provided by county artists, Al Pagan and Stephen Murphy, Infirmary has been described as "an evocative piece of work".

The film season begins today at the Swan Theatre with Kiss Me Kate at 2pm, a musical version of The Taming of The Shrew, co-starring Kathryn Grayson.

This will be followed tonight by the quirky comedy Best in Show at 7.30pm, which tells the story of American dog handlers and their battle for a 'Crufts' style prize.

The second film is the all singing, all dancing Seven Brides For Seven Brothers on Monday, August 22 at 2pm, followed by the charming Robert Redford film The Horse Whisperer on the same day at 7.30pm.

The film season finishes with the Calamity Jane on Thursday, August 25 at 2pm and The Story of the Weeping Camel, a drama-documentary set in South Mongolia's Gobi Desert, which will be screened at 7.30pm.

For more information call 01905 611427 or log onto www.worcesterfestival.co.uk.

'Accessible' opera goes with a swing

TRAPEZE artists, puppetry and comedy are not normally what you would associate with opera - but that's exactly what helped to draw in the crowds at the Three Choirs festival.

Organisers of the historic event hoped this year to attract an even bigger and wider audience than ever before by staging more diverse shows, including opera for the first time.

Keen to appeal to opera novices and enthusiasts alike, they opted for one of composer Henry Purcell's most popular works - The Fairy Queen - which festival hosts hoped would be "accessible" to all.

Sung in English, it is based on A Midsummer Night's Dream and puppeteers, trapeze artists and dancers helped to bring it to life, telling the tale of marriage and relationships.