A rich programme of music, film, literature, performance and art will get under way at venues along the atmospheric north Norfolk coast next month.

The Cromer and Sheringham Art Festival, known as Coast, will feature local talent as well as acclaimed artists, performers and writers from further afield.

Now in its third year, the festival aims to stage around 80 different events in a variety of non-formal environments, stretching between Overstrand and Sheringham. Among the 2012 programme are exhibitions in beach huts, talks and workshops on the beach, concerts in churches, literary lunches and films and performance in yards and hotels.

The pre-festival warm-up has already begun, with singing workshops, quiz, jumble sale, art installation and coastal memories project all planned in the lead up to the main event, which takes place from October 27 to November 4.

Festival attractions include a sculpture exhibition in the walled garden at Felbrigg Hall, a miniature art display in Chalet 53 on Cromer Beach, a giant camera obscura at the Hotel de Paris, an exhibition of underwater photographs from Norfolk's chalk reef at Sheringham Little Theatre and an exhibition of metal sculpture with demonstrations using a mobile furnace at Belfry Arts Centre. There will also be an exhibition of oversized, fabric shells on and around West Runton Beach.

Cromer's Virginia Court Hotel will host a series of literary talks with afternoon tea as well as a literary lunch, organised by Jarrolds Cromer, featuring authors Rachel Hore, D J Taylor and Neil Storey.

The musical line-up includes a piano recital by award-winning musician John Paul Ekins Templewood in Northrepps, all singing all dancing string quarter Bowjangles in concert at Sheringham Little Theatre and The Booze Brothers Band at Cromer Community Hall.

There will also be a variety of hands-on activities for families and children to enjoy including a sculpture trail, storytelling, craft workshops and marshmallow toasting at The Turning Point in Beeston Regis, poetry games at Sheringham's Oddfellows Hall and a nursery rhyme illustration workshop at Cromer Library.

More than 70pc of attractions at this year's festival are free. Visit casaf.co.uk for the full prograamme.