Over the three days, Friday to Sunday, about 60 events will take place, encompassing everything from solo singing to battle re-enactments.

Highlights, reflecting this year's special 'Crossing Borders' theme, include Friday evening's gala concert with music from the Scottish and Welsh borders including Ceri Rhys Matthews, player of the intriguing Welsh bagpipe, and local Border ballads from Mike Tickell; Saturday's pageant with Ellington Band, miners' banners created by local schoolchildren, morris and rapper dance teams and the return of the Dodgy Clutch Theatre giant figure of much-travelled roguish Northumbrian piper Jamie Allan; a special film show on Bohemian bagpiping by American producer Jefe Brown who will be calling in en route between Prague and the United States; the afternoon battle based on a English Civil War skirmish from the Welsh border area (staged on both Saturday and Sunday); Saturday's Barn Dance with the Castle Band and guests; and Sunday's range of events to launch Morpeth's year of activities commemorating the 500th birthday of William Turner, Father of English Botany culminating in a grand concert of Tudor music by costumed supergroup of the early music scene, The York Waits.

Since the Gathering always follows on from Easter, this year's earlier date and the recent unpredictable weather have meant the organisers have ensured there will be plenty of indoor events as well as the usual outdoor spectacles, including free indoor shows by drumming group MacUmba, the Time for George puppets and storytellers Taffy Thomas and Sedayne.

The Chantry Bagpipe Museum, site of the school where Turner was educated in Tudor times, is the venue on Saturday for the filmshow 'Call of Dudy' (a pun on the Czech word for bagpipe), music sessions and competitions, a workshop on Welsh music by Ceri Rhys Matthews and fiddler Christine Cooper, and the Saturday Winner's Concert featuring Neil Smith and friends, Northumbrian pipers who have played on recent years at the international bagpiping festival at Strakonice in the Czech Republic.

At the start of Saturday's events piping group Robson's Choice, who regularly perform to raise funds for St Oswald's Hospice, will play informally outside the Chantry to welcome visitors and also be filmed by the BBC as part of their forthcoming Songs of Praise programme featuring the Gathering's activities.

Hub of the festival, as ever, is the historic Town Hall, scene of the arrival of the Border Cavalcade and Pageant on Saturday morning. The ceremony of welcome, conducted by Alex Swailes as the Gathering's character the 'Morpeth Gadgy' or Town Bailiff, recreates the return of Lord Greystoke from the Battle of Otterburn which took place 620 years ago.

Despite scaffolding and hoardings around the Town Hall, the building will be busy inside, housing a crafts exhibition with stalls and refreshments during all three days, plus activities such as morning dance workshops, clog and singing competitions, a free family concert on Sunday afternoon featuring winning youngsters and 'Bagpuss' composer Sandra Kerr, and Sunday afternoon's historic tours when the Old Council Chamber and Mayor's Parlour in the Town Hall, housing many fascinating items such as the guild boxes and bull rope, are open to the public.

The Clock Tower bells will mark the start of Saturday's 'Muckle Day' by ringing until the procession arrives in the Market Place at 11 am. From 11.30 the Tower will be open to groups of visitors.

For the Pageant on Saturday, the main road through the town centre between Chantry Place and Manchester Street will be closed for an hour, but vehicles can still move around the town via other routes and the popular free Park and Ride service using vintage buses is provided between County Hall and the bus station. (Costumed groups wishing to gather at St James's archways for the start of the procession need to note that the Wellway car park is still accessible despite roadworks around that area).

Outdoor entertainments will take place in the Market Place, Old Bakehouse Millennium Green and Carlisle Park . These will include, on the Market Place, Border Reivers music by Hautbois and a special performance by KEVI Cirkus Clowns on Friday, a Victorian photo booth on Saturday and Sunday, Grizzly Products' Viking boat and appearances by Dodgy Clutch and Morpeth Highland Pipe Band. During Saturday and Sunday activities focus on William Turner with a walk, Living History, music by Misericordia and Thor Ewing and on Sunday the KEVI school dance/drama production on the Life of William Turner. Events then move to the Methodist Church for Sunday evening, when historian Marie Addyman describes Turner's life and significance and then the York Waits present their finale concert of Tudor music.

At the Methodist Church throughout the festival, last year's artist in residence Catherine Stott will exhibit paintings inspired by traditional music and dance, with a family art workshop taking place on Friday afternoon.

Part of the Gathering's work is to promote the traditional music and skills of the area among audiences and encourage people to take up and develop those skills, so the opportunity to work even more closely with schools and other groups has been welcomed this year, when the festival has fallen outside the school holiday.

Singer and historian Keith Gregson will be going into local care homes, and last year's premiered show 'Cheerfully Round', a sequence of songs and stories for Spring and Summer, will be presented to Middle School classes by Sandra Kerr and Taffy Thomas.

Sandra will also be leading a team of Newcastle University folk degree students in running a solo singing course during Sunday afternoon, organised by 20,000 Voices music agency.

The York Waits will provide workshops for schools and adult groups on Tudor music, including teaching players their specially-written 'Fanfare for William Turner'. A chance for the public to meet two of the Waits will take place on Friday at 4pm when they will perform at the Chelsea Flower Show award-winning mini Turner Herb Garden at the Northumberland County Blind Association HQ in Staithes Lane.

The Gathering relies upon a huge community effort, and the Committee is indebted to the many volunteers and partners who help out.
Particular mention must be made of Castle Morpeth Borough Council Community Support and Arts £xtra funding, Morpeth Town Council, Greater Morpeth Development Trust, surrounding parish councils, many community organisations, individual patrons and Benfield Motors VW.