A PROGRAMME of more than 40 events has been unveiled for this year's Keighley Arts and Film Festival.

And new attractions have been added to regular favourites for the annual extravaganza – which runs from Friday, October 7, to Sunday, October 9.

Organiser Keighley Creative says the focus will be on showcasing talent from across Keighley and the wider Bradford district.

Events, which are either free to attend or low cost, will be staged at venues throughout the town.

Friday's activities will include an evening 'Peace Meal', with a theme of Journeys into Keighley, at the Shared Church.

Cathryn Murray, festival and events co-ordinator for Keighley Creative, says: "The Peace Meal aims to build bridges between people who might not otherwise have an opportunity to meet.

"It’s a chance to socialise, enjoy good food in the company of neighbours and discuss ways that communities can build stronger connections between each other.

"Curry will be served and there will be a number of talks and a screening of Ruth & Safiya – a short film by local filmmaker Louisa Rose Mackleston, about a pensioner who befriends a Syrian refugee."

Friday will also see the return of the popular Irene Lofthouse Royal Arcadians tour, offering people the chance to step back in time as they enter the subterranean shopping street beneath Keighley's Royal Arcade.

And Keighley-born stand-up poet and BBC Radio 4 regular Kate Fox will return to her home town that day to perform her comic and thought-provoking show Where There’s Muck, There’s Bras.

On the Saturday, Cecil Green Arts will stage a lantern parade in Cliffe Castle Park, led by Punjabi Roots Academy’s dhol drummers and bhangra dancers.

The Peace Artistes will be back by popular demand, performing across Keighley.

And Qaiser Mahmood’s Qawwali Group will perform at Keighley Creative. Qawwali is described as a traditional Sufi music form that "works its way to ecstatic peaks, with strong voices and percussive hand claps".

Other attractions at the festival include a number of workshops where people can try new skills, stand-up comedy, film screenings, buskers and dance.

Most events are free but some are ticketed, and booking is now open.

Full programme details can be found at keighleycreative.org/festival.

Arts charity Keighley Creative is based at the former Sunwin House building in Hanover Street, in the town centre.

The premises include artist and maker studio spaces and a large, purpose-built gallery.