Aspiring performers and comedians are to be given the chance to have their 15 minutes of fame as part of a popular festival which will be returning to the city next month.Rob Garratt

Aspiring performers and comedians are to be given the chance to have their 15 minutes of fame as part of a popular festival which will be returning to the city next month.

Organisers of the Norwich Fringe Festival want talented people to get involved in the 16-day event which aims to bring together the best of the region's talent for a fun filled couple of weeks.

The festival was first founded in 1998 and ran until 2007 - but a after a year off it has been revamped and restyled by a new committee.

A full programme of performers is yet to be announced, but confirmed acts include performance poet Luke Wright, 'Next Big Thing' winner Ed Sheeran and local indie band Bambi Get Over It.

Venues hosting events in the city include the Birdcage, the Marquee, the Mustard Lounge, and the basement of Take 5.

The Norwich Fringe Festival will run between May 1 and 16, alongside the Norfolk and Norwich Festival which attracts larger international acts to the city - meaning that visitors to Norwich will be spoilt for choice in terms of arts and entertainment.

This year's event became a reality just three weeks ago when organiser Amy Wragg, who runs SoapBox mini-festivals in the city, started an online group on the social networking site Facebook for local artists wanting a chance to perform.

Within just 24 hours there were 200 members and she decided to get other arts organisers involved in the bid - and days later the team behind the old festival gave their blessing and handed over the Fringe name.

Organiser Amy Wragg said: 'I am incredibly excited about it. It started off as a seed of an idea just three weeks ago and we've got it all together already - it's fantastic. It's hectic, but I love it this way.

'The idea is to have lots of stuff that goes on anyway under one banner, as well as putting on lots more events.'

She said one thing lacking from the festival was the art trail held in previous years - which saw shops and caf�'s displaying art that could be traced around the city - and is appealing for volunteers to get involved.

Luke Wright, a founder member of acclaimed poetry collective Aisle 16, will debut his new show, The Petty Concerns of Luke Wright, at The Kitchen on St Benedict's Street on May 11.

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran will perform at St Gregory's Centre for the Arts on Pottergate on May 1. The festival will end with the Pining for Pride event at Norwich Arts Centre on May 16, where Bambi Get Over It will be among the performers at an evening of live music, comedy and DJing.

To get involved email Amy at getonthesoapbox@hotmail.co.uk, and to find out more see the www.norwichfringefestival.co.uk

Are you organising an event? Call Evening News reporter Rob Garratt on 01603 772439 or email rob.garratt@archant.co.uk.

For the very best in local event listings log onto www.eveningnews24.co.uk and click on What's On or see our Going Out guide in the Evening News every Friday.