The London 2012 Festival, a 12 week UK-wide cultural celebration for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is now on.

The Festival features more than 25,000 leading artists from all 204 competing Olympic nations. Everyone will be able to join in the celebration with over 10 million free opportunities to take part in 12,000 events and performances at 900 venues all over the UK, including 130 world premieres and 85 UK premieres. The Festival includes significant activity in Suffolk.

Tonight, Pacitti Company’s On Landguard Point premieres at Ipswich Film Theatre and the Eastern Angles 'Margaret Catchpole' opens at the Hush House at Bentwaters Park at Rendlesham.

On Friday the Museum of East Anglian Life Abbot’s Hall opens, complete with room dedicated to 'On Landguard Point'.

On Monday 25 June the Picture House in Bury St Edmunds will screen new specially commissioned London 2012 inspired films from Mike Leigh, Asif Kapadia, Lynne Ramsay and Max and Dania. The screenings are followed with a live link to a question and answer session with the directors.

The Crash of the Elysium continues its highly acclaimed run in Ipswich until 8th July.

Week commencing 2nd July the Olympic Torch comes to sixteen Suffolk communities and Big Dance starts, with the superb Spiegel Tent in Christchurch Park in Ipswich.

On the 8th July a 'Hansel of Film' will be screened at Aldeburgh Cinema and 'UntrueIsland: A Response to Orford Ness' opens.

Later in July the brilliant Aldeburgh World Orchestra will perform at Snape Maltings (twice) and on the 25th August the British Paraorchestra conducted by Charles Hazlewood will be in concert, also at Snape.

Councillor Colin Noble, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member responsible for sport, said: “It’s fantastic to see such a large variety of events taking place in Suffolk to celebrate the London 2012 Games.

“There is so much more to the Olympics than meets the eye and with a number of concerts, dance events and exhibitions taking place throughout the county I would urge Suffolk residents to get involved, as there really is something for everyone.”

For a full listing of London 2012 Festival and Cultural Olympiad projects in the East of England visit http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/East_brochure.pdf