Keighley Festival promises to be the biggest for several years as more outside organisations sign up to run events.

The nine days of summer fun will include a massive sports carnival, Greek theatre, and a model boat and plane extravaganza.

Festival chairman Peter Halliwell promises that the opening ceremony in the Town Hall Square will be the biggest and best ever.

Lasting more than four hours, it will involve mostly local groups presenting dance, drama and music.

Peter says the ceremony will be a taster for other events that aim to involve the whole community in and around Keighley from June 16-24.

The first Sunday will be dominated by the SportKarnival at Oakbank Sports College, involving many sporting groups from across Keighley.

There will be a Keighley Cougars match, sponsored run, fitness challenges, soccer, hockey, archery, competitions, demonstrations and stalls.

The final day features a host of super-charged family attractions organised by Keighley Model Engineering Society.

The first model boat regatta for many years will be held at Keighley Tarn, while down at Marley will be a model plane flypast, mini grand prix and steam train rides. The Keighley-based Inner Space theatre group will present a play based on the Ancient Greek legend of the Minotaur.

Asian activities will include mehfil-e-naat cultural evenings for men, women and children, mela sports and a concert of patweri sher folk music.

A children's afternoon in Cliffe Castle park will feature clowns, a magic circus, colour maze and a bouncy castle.

Old favourites include tea dances, Asian cooking workshops, folk music, line dancing vintage vehicle night, Steeton Male Voice Choir concert and Asian mela.

News of the festival events has been welcomed by Cllr David Emmott, chairman of Keighley Area Panel, the festival's funder.

"I am confident that plans for this year's festival will result in it being one of the best ever," he said.

Full details of festival events will be published over the next few weeks in the Keighley News and in a special supplement in June, as well as being available at Keighley Information Centre in the Town Hall.