Kings Lynn Festival will burst into life on Sunday as demand grows for tickets for the packed two-week programme.

Festival favourites the world-famous Halle Orchestra,will make a welcome return with an exciting opening concert including George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Leonard Bernstein and William Walton at the Corn Exchange at 7.30pm.

The first event will be the Festival Service at the Minster Church at 11.30am on Sunday when the preacher will be the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham James, visiting Lynn for the last time before his retirement at the end of the year.

There will also be a celebratory peal of the bells of St Nicholas' Chapel from 4-7pm rung by a team of expert ringers from around the UK led by David C Brown of Norwich.

Over the next two weeks a quality programme will feature many famous names including the BBC Big Band with vocalist Claire Martin, guitarist Craig Ogden teaming up with jazz singer Jacqui Dankworth, arts television presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon will give two different talks, and the internationally renowned choral ensemble, The Sixteen, will present a concert at St Nicholas' Chapel.

Alistair McGowan's career as an impressionist has taken a new path with a classical piano album but as well as beautiful music his performance is likely to include some of his trademark impressions.

Several events have already sold out, including some of the ever-popular series of five morning coffee concerts.

Duelling violin brothers Vladimir and Anton who was were special guests in BBC's Friday Night is Music Night at last year's festival are returning.

Lynn Festival Chorus will perform the Rachmaninov Vespers, Welsh pianist Llyr Williams returns to give this year's piano recital at Lynn Minster, historian Suzannah Lipscomb will talk about witchcraft and the folk music event will feature Eddi Reader who found fame with Fairground Attraction.

The festival's artist-in-residence, Polish cellist Marcin Zdunik, will perform in five events including the final concert by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Box office 01553 764864 or go to www.kingslynnfestival.org.uk.