"The line up for the second Knighton & District Serendipity Festival has been revealed - along with a new tourism website. After the great success of its first year the Serendipity Festival looks set to draw crowds into the Knighton district once more.

'The idea behind the Serendipity Festival is to show what a vibrant area this is' says John Roberts, Chair of the Knighton & District Tourism Group which is organising the Festival. 'We are putting on a very wide range of events from guided walks to Shakespeare in the Park and from a Cabaret evening to an open day at the Spaceguard Centre - our local observatory.'

To add to the spirit of the 9 days of events the George & Dragon Inn, along with other local pubs, is having a beer and cider festival. Justin Rees, the landlord, is very proud of the area. 'We are so lucky to be surrounded by glorious countryside. The quality of the local landscape is reflected in our having two National Trails meet here - the Offa's Dyke Path and the Glyndŵr's Way. This is unique in Wales and the guided walks of the festival will give visitors a taste of what we have to offer.'

Julia Roberts, who runs the Tower House Gallery in Knighton, explains how the festival came to be called Serendipity: 'A lot of people stumble upon this part of the world by happy chance and just fall in love with it. We thought that by naming our summer festival to reflect this kind of unexpected but welcome discovery we would encourage more people to come and fall in love with the place.'

The Serendipity Festival is certainly offering something to please all tastes. From the leisurely open gardens programme and guided walks on the history of the town to a jazz picnic and a night with an Abba tribute band. There is even a multi-instrumental extravaganza involving didgeridoo, conch, sackbut, cornett, serpent and Sousaphone and many more!

'It's a cliché to say that you offer 'something for everyone' but in this case it's true' says Gary Cowell, one of the festival organisers. 'To have a small town and its surrounding villages put on a festival that includes such a variety of events and activities is very unusual but we think that it has great appeal to potential visitors. There can't be many festivals where in one day you can go for a guided walk in the morning, discover the history of Knighton in the afternoon and then spend the evening at the world premiere of a classical recital. And that's just one day of the nine we have organised! We will soon be launching our festival website so watch this space for more details.'

To date the planned activities include:
• The world premiere of new songs by Montgomery composer Jeffrey Joseph on Wednesday 15 July
• An outdoor performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It on Friday 17 July
• open gardens programme on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July
• A series of guided walks with East Radnor Ramblers throughout the week
• Local history guided walks with the Town Cryer on Sunday 12 and Wednesday 15 July
• A Jazz Picnic with Dutch Lewis and Friends on Thursday 16 July
• Tony Jacob's Cabaret on Sunday 19 July
• The Serendipity Summer Fayre on Sunday 19 July
• The launch of Project Drax at the Spaceguard Centre observatory on Tuesday 14 July
• Rhayader Male Voice Choir and Knighton School Concert Choir on Saturday 11 July
• Multi-Instrumental Extravaganza Travelling by Tuba on Saturday 18 July
• Mortimer Country Food Fair on Saturday on Saturday 11 July
• Wildlife events with Radnorshire Wildlife Trust on Sunday 12 July
• Hand Bell ringing concert on Sunday 12 July
• Organ recital on Saturday 18 July
• Abba Tribute Band on Saturday 18 July
• Knighton Town Silver Band concert on Tuesday 14 July
• 'Spirit of Knighton' performances on Saturday 11 and Monday 13 July"

Article written by Gary Cowell