Children get arts event in Leicestershire and Rutland

Performers from all over the world are coming to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for a two-week children's entertainment festival.

The Spark Children's Arts Festival gets under way on Monday and will run until 13 June.

The event features theatre, music, dance, puppetry and art aimed specifically at children, even the very young, organisers said.

Many schools will also host Spark events in their classrooms.

Companies attending the festival include Oily Cart, Spoontree Productions, Horse and Bamboo, Barebones and Shona Reppe.

Also featured will be a production of The Gruffalo at De Montfort Hall and what is being described as an "innovative" outdoor production of Grimms Fairy Tales at the Botanical Gardens.

There will also be an Afro Ceilidh dancing event organised by Boka Halat.