FANCY a last blast of noise and colour before the summer’s over? Easy - It’s all on your doorstep with the 19th Stroud Fringe Festival.

From Friday to Sunday, the town will be transformed into a hive of music, comedy, theatre and spoken word.

More than 300 performers have been secured.

A few very special guests from further afield are set to appear too, including what has been described as “just as you’d expect to find Heaven” – Colourscape’s Symphony of the Senses in Stratford Park.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the Crown and Sceptre is hosting a Sausage and Cider Festival with bands to cater for all tastes.

To help you navigate your way through the vast array of artists at what is now the largest free festival in the UK, a copy of the Stroud Fringe Festival brochure is a must.

The programme includes a complete breakdown of each stage, with performers and times, plus details of the family area and articles about the fantastic new food section – along with so much more.

Copies, at £1 each, can be found in many venues in and around Stroud including: Made In Stroud, the Sub Rooms, Twisted Fix, Stroud farmers’ market, Stroud library, Stroud Vision Centre, The Prince Albert, Stroud Brewery and Horsley Community Shop.

Festival goers will also have the opportunity to dress for the occasion, with the launch of a specially produced range of Stroud-related merchandise, which will only be available through the town’s retailers.

The selection will include t-shirts, tote bags and pin badges and will be available in the town’s shops in time for the Festival.

The two launch designs will feature an illustration based on the working drawings of Abigail Fallis, who has been working hard to produce a new ram’s head for the Fringe procession, and a special Not Unusual For Stroud design, produced in collaboration with the infamous local Facebook page which celebrates the ‘unique’ nature of the town.

Delightful, dangerous and downright daft - Dragon Tales told by Agent Green the world’s only living Dragon Whisperer will also add some sparkle to Stroud Fringe.

From China to Somerset, from bold heroes to dragons who are just misunderstood, the 45 minute high energy show is designed to delight age seven to 12.

Gorgeously costumed Agent Green claims to work for DCHQ, Dragon Conservation Headquarters, on a mission to find and save the world’s last dragons.

Behind the bling is Cotswold based spoken word artist Chloë of the Midnight Storytellers.

It’s her first appearance at Stroud Fringe Festival but her dragon whisperer persona and worldwide repertoire of stories have taken her from Welsh primary schools to the international Tolkien Society conference.

Catch her show on Saturday at 11.30am in the Gallery at Lansdown Hall, Stroud.

For more information please visit: www.stroudfringe.co.uk