A new look Beccles Festival will be launched this spring guaranteeing a hive of musical activity spread across seven months.

After a year without the popular event, 2014 sees a revised format with three themed weekends beginning in March, plus a series of fundraising events, with more emphasis on local and regional performers.

Community musicians of all ages are being sought for a new town band to be part of a two-weekend Beccles Festival Orchestra and Concert Band project. Joe Knight, well known as director of the Loddon Band, will conduct the concert band, and the orchestra will be directed by internationally applauded brass player, composer and conductor Elgar Howarth.

There will be two full play days for all orchestral and band musicians on March 22 and 29, followed by an early evening concert at 6pm on the second Saturday, all at the Sir John Leman High School.

Festival chairman Eunice Simpkins said: 'The play days and concert project are the ideal way of launching our new look festival. It is an expanded version of a community event that we know works well and perhaps most importantly the addition of the concert band means that we will no longer have to turn away any woodwind players.'

A classical weekend will take place between June 27 and 29, including music from Waveney Young Musicians and the Festival Chorus and a jazz weekend at the Waveney House Hotel will close the festival between September 19 and 21. To register for tickets, the festival orchestra, concert band or chorus visit www.becclesfestival.co.uk