Festival bosses are inviting people to get get creative this weekend to kickstart community celebrations in Wirksworth.

The challenge has come from Wirksworth Festival chiefs who hope to get more people involved in the town's art extravaganza.
Artists from Mantle Arts will be at the festival office on Saturday, looking for ideas and inspiration from local people to create an image for the Celebration during drop-in sessions from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

"The aim of the Community Celebration is to encourage people who have not been involved with the Festival in the past to join in and enjoy themselves," says Matthew Pegg from Mantle Arts.

"The project will consist of five series of workshops with different community groups working with artists over the next few months. They will all create something inspired by the town, its history and geography, and on the last weekend of the Festival they will wend their way through the streets in five different processions that will converge into one gigantic colourful extravaganza of a celebration."

Everyone is invited to join in and take part in the workshops and in the Community Celebration over the closing weekend of the festival on September 25 and 26.

Some ideas for the workshops and processions include:

* Making and carrying glowing paper lanterns.

* A long river of silk flowing through the street,

* Red streamers and giant red figures, inspired by the government red tape that used to be made in the town.

* Local musicians playing music created while working with a composer.

* Dancers carrying torches on long poles

* Mosaic panels transported to the centre of town where later they will be permanently installed in a pavement or on a wall.

The festival office is located at North End (next to the Cat's Protection League). For more details call the Festival office on 01629 824003.