THE launch of Winchester’s largest annual festival took place at the Theatre Royal.

Hat Fair is the UK’s longest-running outdoor arts festival, transforming the city each summer.

More than 60,000 visitors fill the streets every year to enjoy three days of free outdoor arts events.

The event, sponsored by The Brooks Shopping Centre, will take place from June 30 to July 2.

There will also be a fringe event alongside the main festival at the shopping centre run by University of Winchester students, showcasing emerging young talent.

Hat Fair’s new director Andrew Loretto said this year’s event would have an international mix.

“I am looking forward to to seeing how audiences interact with shows and spaces in the city,” he said.

“I think for me the Hat Fair is like the cheeky cousin of the city. There will be a mix of work from the big epic to the small and playful.

“Of course we want to entertain and it’s a family event but the equally exciting thing about outdoor theatre is that it crosses borders, telling stories about interesting people – one of our main shows is by a Polish theatre company about the refugee and asylum seeker experience at the back of Winchester Bus Station.

“The work we do on the streets and in our venues is a sum of who we are. Arts and performance can create opportunities.

“We are in the middle of a general election campaign and I want politicians to hear this message. Art and culture is not a luxury. It is a necessity of society.”

He also paid tribute to his predecessor Michelle Walker, who he said had organised “a fantastic line-up” for 2017.

Deryck Newland, chief executive of Live Theatre Winchester Trust, which runs the Theatre Royal and Hat Fair, said: “I am looking forward to Hat Fair because I believe it will be, as it has been for over 40 years, welcoming and fun, full of passion and creative bravery.”