A new arts festival is launching in Luton, as part of an effort to change the public opinion of the Bedfordshire town.

Luton is often linked with the airport, the League 2 football club, and a reputation for extremism.

However, now the new Lutonia Festival is launching at the beginning of March, and is hoping to show the artistic side of the town to the rest of the UK.

Former punk singer Steve Abbott, who grew up on the Farley Hill council estate in Luton, is curating the festival.

He said: “The shape of a town or city is better judged by its outskirts than it’s centre and to that ends, a wider cultural “scene” invariably exposes us further to what we otherwise wouldn’t know, or readily enjoy .

“It’s the increasing of this knowledge and enjoyment that makes our lives all the better to live and increases our individual empathy with those around us, locally, nationally and internationally.”

He added: “Lutonia may well change some perceptions of Luton from the outside world , but as equally important is the chance for Lutonians to continue enjoying their ever increasing knowledge of the wider world.”

The festival will include poetry, art, film, theatre, dance and music.

Performers include famous punk poet John Cooper Clarke, readings from actor and director Colin Salmon, and a sing-a-long with Cerys Matthews.

As well as that, a short film about Syrian refugees made in the Zaatari camp in Jordan called Oh Syria, My Syria’will be premièred.

A spokesperson from Luton Culture, an arts charity in the town, said: “Luton is a town rich in the cultures of the world, where over one hundred languages are spoken.

“A large scale festival like Lutonia offers local audiences a chance to enjoy the high quality arts experiences on their doorstep, and also attracts people from beyond Luton to our vibrant town, helping to dispel the myth of Luton as a cultural desert.”

The festival starts on March 5, and finishes April 2.

A new arts festival in Luton is starting in the Bedfordshire town in March. For more information, and tickets, click here.