Everyone thinks we've got quite a lot going on here, but there's no way of seeing it all at one time - so we thought we'd pull everything into a two week event," explains Eastbourne Festival coordinator Marie Thompson.

"We put a lot of effort into bringing tourists into the town, but we've never really celebrated what we have here already."

Born and bred in Eastbourne, Marie was appointed by the Borough Council to organise the inaugural event - which starts tomorrow - and is passionate about what it means for the town.

With local artists holding open houses, special cinema screenings, specifically commissioned drama, dance classes and music, she hopes it will act as a showcase for Eastbourne's thriving but underpublicised cultural life.

"I thought I knew Eastbourne," she says, "but there are things that have been presented for the festival that I have been staggered by.

"We've got people running can-can workshops, a piper who will pipe across the town on each day of the festival and food demonstrations.

"We're not trying to emulate the Brighton Festival - Brighton has a different culture. But I'm hoping people from Brighton will come over here and have a look at what's on offer.

We've got things that maybe they don't have.

"It's a slower, more gentle pace of life here and maybe that brings forward its own interesting types of work."

Nearly 80 artists, both professional and amateur, will be showing work including sculpture, ceramics, pottery and painting - some of it in unusual locations like car showrooms and estate agents.

The Curzon Cinema, in Langney Road, is putting on special film screenings, including award-winning Irish busker musical Once and Brick Lane, the film adaptation of Monica Ali's novel of the same title. It will also be showing Animal Farm, to tie in with the Eastbourne Big Read - an event which encourages people in the town to read and discuss Orwell's novel.

Continuing the literary theme, Morse creator Colin Dexter will give a talk on his life, the books that inspired him and how they adapted Morse for TV. Poet and writer Jackie Kay will also be in town reading her work, with accompaniment from musicians.

For younger residents, "urban artists"

(council-speak for grafitti artists) will be exhibiting and giving demonstrations, while indie star Jack Penate and drum 'n' bass act Pendulum will be at the Winter Gardens for a special late-night event, that also features a DJ set from Babyshambles and performances from local bands.

Marie says: "I hope this is the start of something more lively in Eastbourne. We all spend a lot of time going over to Brighton because there's so much going on, but it would be nice if we can show what we've got and show that we have things worth showing."

Chris Jordan, artistic director of Eastbourne Theatres, was responsible for putting together the theatres' programme for the festival.

An eclectic mix of comedy, music, workshops, dance and theatre, he says: "The festival has given us the opportunity to be slightly more adventurous with our programme. We want to get people into the venues to try new and different things.

"I wouldn't normally book someone like Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale into the Devonshire Park Theatre, but this has allowed us to do that and put him alongside Shakespeare Abridged and (Parisian cabaret) Cafe Chat Noir. The whole idea of the festival is that people will drop in and out and try new stuff."

As well as shows like John Godber's bittersweet comedy Our House and the European Arts Company's touring production of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, there are performances from comedian Lee Hurst, who will head up the Screaming Blue Murder comedy club and legendary BBC Radio 4 show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.

There is also a specially-produced show, Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance - a ride through the world of musical theatre that stars a cast of West End performers alongside pupils from Ocklynge School. Fully staged and choreographed, it will open at the festival before beginning a UK tour.

Chris says Eastbourne is long overdue an event like the festival. "I'm not aware of any other town of our size that's got as many performance venues, dance venues and such a history of the arts," he says.

"I think now it's our time to wave our flag as a real cultural destination."