Morris dancing celebration at The Potty Festival in Sheringham

A scene from a previous Potty Festival. Picture: KAREN BETHELL (Image: Archant)

The Potty Festival, formerly the Lobster Potty Festival, takes place in the town on Saturday and Sunday.

This is the 22nd year of the annual event which attracts morris dancing sides from across East Anglia and further afield, as well as thousands of visitors.

And this year several folk song and music sessions at different venues have been introduced to complement the dance displays.

New chairman of the festival, Clive Rayment, said: 'The festival is lovely and light-hearted. Everybody enjoys themselves. It brings people into the town and shows them Sheringham and Norfolk.

'You have teenagers to older people come and watch the festival. People love it because of the colour, music and different dance styles.'

This year's festival will include 37 sides and there will be 10 separate dancing spots around the town.

It will kick off at 10am on Saturday with a parade of all the sides from the RNLI car park, near the Leas, to the clock tower.

It will be led by folk dance group Young Miscellany, made up of primary school children and teenagers from Bristol.

Norfolk sides at the festival will be Holt Ridge (from Holt/Kelling), Golden Star and Kemp's Men (both from Norwich), Weavers (from North Walsham) and Hoxon Hundred (from the county border area with Suffolk).

The main dancing arena is on Lifeboat Plain where the Sheringham Shantymen will sing on Saturday between 1-2pm. They will also sing outside The Lobster pub garden that evening.

The Ugly Dog Skiffle Combo are also playing on Lifeboat Plain on Saturday from 8pm-midnight.

New song and music sessions including a singaround and free concert will be held at the Two Lifeboats and the Lobster pubs, in the Lobster Stables and at the Tyneside Club from Friday-Sunday.

Visit www.pottyfestival.com, email info@pottyfestival.com or call 01263 822302 to register an interest.