IF music and food are the ones you love - then checkout this Shakespearean-inspired festival with a twist.

That's the Summer Solstice Celebration: A Midsummer Night's Dream taking place at Colchester Arts Centre next Wednesday, marking the longest day of the year.

The evening is being organised by Organic Alex (aka Alex Cave) and Meelyhoops (aka Emilia Brumpton) who have joined forces in their respective talents of food and live entertainment to create several other solstice events.

Emilia says: "We've done a winter festival and a harvest moon festival before but it's always been mixing Alex's incredible food with my visual circus and live music stuff.

"After the Waiting Room closed in St Botolph's we've been looking for another venue and so we're delighted the arts centre has agreed to be the host for this one. That does mean we've had to scale it up a bit but we're still determined that it won't lose any of the intimacy and spirit of community the other mini-festivals had."

Inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the atmosphere will be dreamy and magical with a woodland feel and as with the previous festivals, Alex has put together a three-course feast of vegan, gluten-free, organic food including Creamy Mustardseed Broccoli; Titania's Tabbouleh and Peaseblossom's Paella.

Emilia has lined-up an array of local talent to entertain throughout the evening such as Omar and Finn, King Kiwanda and a DJ set from Fizzy Gillespie, known for taking the sounds of Thirties swing to Sixties soul and fusing them with the modern sounds of Drum 'n' Bass.

Doors open at 6pm with tickets priced £25, which includes all food but not drinks, and £15 for under 14s, available by calling 01206 500900 or on-line at www.colchesterartscentre.com