Live performance and dance feature prominently in Derby Festé, “the highlight of Derby’s events calendar”, which takes place this week.
The festival, in its sixth year, is expected to generate more than £1 million for the city’s economy.
International performance artists Luc Amoros will be staging Page Blanche on Thursday and Friday.
Six painters, actors and musicians will use 300 kilos of paint and 360 square metres of plastic film to create, destroy and recreate a series of works of art on Cathedral Green in the city.
The streets will come alive on Saturday with a selection of entertainers including a life-sized Punch and Judy, giant seagulls, a two-metre high robot and a comedy show featuring one man and his six-foot balloon.
Five Derby theatre companies will join together under the banner Independent Theatre Network to stage Theatre on the Run, a stroll through the city centre.
Darley Park will be the venue for the finale, Games Time, a £1.2 million stage show inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It will feature more than 100 dancers and gymnasts and will also include giant video projections, fireworks and music.
Organisers have had to introduce a charge for the first time because of funding cuts. Entry to the Luc Amoros shows will be £4. Admission to Games Time will be free.
Further details are available at www.derbyfeste.com.