A CITY is preparing for one of the region's premier arts events, a festival which has won high praise for its quality and variety.

Ripon International Festival, in North Yorkshire, is now in its sixth year and runs for two weeks from Saturday, September 6.

It opens when the Band of the Scots Guards Beat the Retreat in the Market Place at 6pm on the Saturday, followed by a concert by Opera North's orchestra at Ripon Cathedral.

Three major orchestral events at Ripon Cathedral are at the core of this year's festival, and there are many other varied shows.

They include Mighty Zulu Nation's stage show Africa Africa, symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky led by the Polish conductor Janusz, Greek guitarist Eleftheria Kotzia in a cabaret-style evening with a Greek supper, and Hungarian cellist Miklos Perenyi.

Drama is an important feature of the festival. Lord Byron, played by Rufus Wright, will be brought to life on stage at Markenfield Hall, while TV actor Moray Watson will impersonate characters in Ancestral Voices.

Children will be able to watch the puppet show Nessie the Loch Ness Monster.

A landmark event is the first performance in Yorkshire of Te Deum by the Estonian composer Arvo Prt. It will be performed by more than 100 singers from Leeds Philharmonic Chorus and Manchester Camerata.

For a festival brochure, call (01765) 690563 or log on to www.riponinternationalfesti val.com