Falmouth's annual celebration of the arts begins this Saturday and organisers are promising it will be more quirky and creative than ever before.

The SPLASH festival is billed as “a riot of sight, sound and colour” as the town celebrates its creative spirit with street art and theatre, contemporary dance, music, and quirky goings on in shops.

A new element this year, SPLASH Bites, will see activities taking place in a variety of venues throughout the town.

Gylly Tea Fest will be held at the Gyllyngdune Gardens and timed to coincide with SPLASH, while award winning screenwriter Emma Frost will give a free talk at Courtyard Deli.

There will also be shanty singing in ships and a showcase for new and indie film talent.

Meanwhile SPLASH On The Street will see a variety of street performances taking place in town throughout the week, including contemporary pop-up dance, the Postie Poet, and sketch artists drawing on the trains between Truro and Falmouth.

In SPLASH Art the major draw will be the abstract art exhibition at Falmouth Art gallery.

Also new for this year is SPLASH Tale - an unusual writing competition, where entrants are challenged to write in bursts of 140-word characters, with the winners having their pieces published on Twitter during the festival week and in the Falmouth Packet, plus read live or performed in Falmouth.

The given theme was 'Falmouth' and entrants could write in any style, be it a poem, short story or event a soap opera, and there will be prizes in two categories: under 18 and over 18, with both receiving £100.

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID manager, said: “It's been quite a year, events wise, for Falmouth with an incredible array of activity organised that has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to our special town.

“And we're not done yet! SPLASH follows hot on the heels of the Tall Ships Regatta and comes before the Oyster Festival, of course - expect to discover street theatre, contemporary dance, poetry, art on the street, indie films, tea parties, exhibitions and more besides.

“SPLASH is all about celebrating Falmouth's creative spirit in quirky and innovative ways with many venues and spaces being utilised.”

Details on all the events are below.

SPLASH ON THE STREET Wednesday, September 17 Poetry Postie - In the build-up to SPLASH week, expect '1st Class' performance poetry delivered to travellers and passers-by at Plymouth railway station.

Saturday, September 20 SPLASH Dance! - Dancing and sketching? Quirky but true and taking place on The Moor 1pm-3pm.

FREE Sunday, September 21 School of Noises - Expiremental and contemporary music. FREE #loveFalmouth because... - Share your thoughts, poems, doodles on all things Falmouth on our large scale scribble boards dotted about town. FREE Freefall Dance - Keep an eye out for a very contemporary dance duo performing at various street locations throughout the town. 11am-3pm.

FREE Wednesday, September 24 Poetry Postie - Join Sally Crabtree, the Poetry Postie on her rounds, where she may just have a poetic letter or singing telegram for you. Pick out a parcel or jump on the postie bike, ring the bell and be entertained by the Postie herself. Out and about during the Wednesday in Falmouth.

Saturday, September 27 Story Republic - Stories, tales and performances throughout the town starting at the Moor, heading out along the streets to Events Square and back. Quirky, irreverent and interactive, 12 noon-4pm

Sunday, September 28 Draw on The Moor - To celebrate the life and works of renowned abstract artist Grace Gardner come and join in on The Moor as we re-create in large, one of her masterpieces. Times TBC. FREE Freefall Dance - Look out for a very contemporary dance duo performing at various street locations throughout the town, 11am-3pm.

FREE SPLASH BITES

Saturday, September 20 So You Wanna Write? - Emma Frost, award-winning screenwriter of programmes such as the BBC's The White Queen and Jamaica Inn and Channel 4's Shameless, talks about her life as a screenwriter - the rewards, the perils and pitfalls. Takes place at the Courtyard Deli, 7.30pm.

FREE Sunday 21 September 21 Gyllyngdune Tea Fest - In the spirit of SPLASH, enjoy an eclectic mix of tea tasting, tea dances, Shakespeare's Tempest performed in a tea cup, the 'Creativitea' tent, live music, tea leaf reading, pop up performances and a myriad of Mad Hatter's Delights. All in the gardens of Gyllyngdune, 11am-5pm.

FREE Wednesday 24th September 24 Finding Vivian Maier, a documentary - A nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that were hidden in storage lockers and discovered decades later, is now considered among the 20th century's greatest photographers. Maier's life and art are revealed through never before seen photographs, films, and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her. The Poly, 7.30pm. Running time 84 minutes (12A)

Thursday, September 25 Silly Boys Present: The Elves & The Shoemaker & Other Stories - A hilarious, wacky and heartwarming take on some of the world's favourite fairytales, including the Gingerbread Man and The Emperor's New Clothes. Reimagined using puppetry, live music and a giant dose of silliness! The Poly, 7.30pm. Family tickets available in groups of four (two adults and two children) at £5 per ticket.

Rough Cut Night - Showcasing the works of wannabe film-makers, students and artists at Dog Bite Film Studio, Events Square, 8pm.

FREE Saturday, September 27 Songs Shanties And Books - Bookmark Falmouth will be hosting a Cornish songs and shanty singing night from 7pm. Artists include The Suitcase Singers with Claire Ingleheart and Tash Berks. Tickets £5 with a glass of wine included.

SPLASH ART

September 20 - November 22 Brilliant Colour - This exhibition features a selection of Grace Gardner's brilliantly-coloured abstract paintings. They will be shown alongside an array of work by some of Cornwall's finest abstract artists from the 1950s to the present day including Trevor Bell, Terry Frost and Roger Hilton. At Falmouth Art Gallery, Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm.

FREE All week Pop Up Art Trail - A series of artists' work will be on display in shop windows from Events Square through to The Moor.

September 15 onwards Line caught and local - A series of paintings, drawings and sculpture, with supporting film footage, from one of Britain's leading contemporary artists, documenting West Cornwall's inshore fishermen at work. At the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, daily, 10am-5pm. Normal museum admissions charges apply.