The 24th annual Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts will feature oriental and Western art performances on the city's south, north, and Artimes theatres, in addition to 55 folklore shows free of charge at the Oval Plaza, where visitors can enjoy performances by groups from Jordan, Palestine, Spain, Turkey and other countries.

Inaugurated in 1981 by Her Majesty Queen Noor, the festival has become the premiere showcase for Jordanian performing artists, and has attracted musicians and artists from all over the globe.

This year's festival is set to kick off on July 20 with the traditional lighting of the torch, followed by performances by three Jordanian singers against the floodlight backdrop of the ruins of the ancient world.

Throughout 18 days of cultural activities, the festival offers over 100 main shows varying between concerts of popular Arab singers, poetry reading sessions, symphony orchestras, ballet, theatre and folklore troupes, some of which are open for spectators at no charge.

An increasingly popular event is the performances on the South Theatre, which has a seating capacity of several thousand and features popular singers from across the Arab world. This year's singers include Hani Shaker from Egypt, Saber Rubai from Tunisia, Nawal Zughbi and Fadel Shaker from Lebanon, Omar Abdullat from Jordan and Eidha Al Minhali from the UAE.

Children's shows and activities will be held on the Artimes Theatre stage, while folklore and ballet troupes performances will take place on the North Theatre.

In addition, other activities will take place in different locations around the capital.

Organisers of the festival, headed by Director Jeries Samawi, held a press conference on Sunday announcing the festival's list of activities and participants.

According to Samawi, the festival is a nonprofit activity that seeks to promote culture and arts, and is sponsored by several companies.