A three-week celebration of music, theatre, arts and culture returns to fill the city with noise and colour.

The Canterbury Festival takes place from Saturday, October 15 to Saturday, November 5 and boasts a fully packed multi-arts programme for the first time in two years.

The festival will bring top events to venues across the city, including the Great Hall at Kent College, the Gulbenkian Arts Centre, Westgate Hall, The Malthouse and Canterbury Cathedral.

Kicking off the festival will be an opening concert from the ORA Singers celebrating the life of Queen Elizabeth II, along with music from the Beautiful Noise programme - a showcase of choirs, bands and groups from the local community - at various venues.

The festival’s classical concerts continue with performances from pianist Clare Hammond, the Carducci Quartet, the Festival Chamber Orchestra, Kent Chamber Opera and the Canterbury Choral Society, who will be joined by the London Handel Orchestra.

It’s not just classical music on offer; there will also be a number of rock, jazz, folk and gospel musicians who will be bringing the party atmosphere to the festival over the three weeks.

There will be performances from Miss Kiddy and Cads, the Moscow Drug Club, The Often Herd, Polly Gibbons, the Red Stripe Band, Mampama, the London Community Gospel Choir, Caravan and the Jack Hues Quartet.

Theatre fans won’t want to miss the festival’s many plays, musicals and stage performances, featuring everything from drag cabaret act La Voix to a solo show from Whose Line Is It Anyway host Clive Anderson.

Visitors can also catch shows by Fascinating Aïda’s Dillie Keane, Dyad Productions’ a Room of One’s Own, Brother Wolf’s Treasure Island, Lost in Translation Circus’ Hotel Paradiso, the Comedy Club, and Edinburgh Fringe favourites the Noise Next Door.

This year’s Talks series also brings an array of fascinating speakers to the festival line-up, such as historian Janina Ramirez, the Great Pottery Throwdown’s Keith Brymer-Jones and director of the V&A Museum Tristram Hunt are set to appear.

There will also be a series of events focused on science, such as talks on forensic science and the history of scientific standards, and family-friendly events including a bubble show, a balloon show, clown performances and childrens’ disco.

For the first time, the Canterbury Festival will welcome renowned artists Luxmuralis and their immersive light and sound installation to Canterbury Cathedral.

Luxmuralis, who recently launched their Life display at Rochester Cathedral, will present Shine: Let There Be Light, a combination of three of their most popular shows highlighting the wonders of space, science and Earth, inside the historic building.

For those who want to get out and about, the festival will also be hosting a number of outdoor activities, including a 5km running tour of the city, walks through the North Downs Way and birdwatching in Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve.

The Canterbury Festival takes place from Saturday, October 15 to Saturday, November 5 at various venues. Some events are free, however many will need to be booked in advance. You can find the full festival programme, including ticket information, here.