"We have 110 events crammed into 21 days with wall-to-wall entertainment from half past ten in the morning until the small hours," says festival secretary, Neil Smith, with a mixture of pride and exhaustion.

Weekdays are given to the amateur companies who are intent on taking one of the major prizes that are so valued in the G&S world. Each morning they set-up scenery and lighting in the Opera House, have an afternoon rehearsal with a professional orchestra, and a performance that evening.

"There is a great demand from societies to appear at Buxton," continues Smith, "and we are always heavily oversubscribed.

This year, as well as societies coming from abroad we have groups from across the whole country, each show adjudged by a distinguished G&S performer."

The highlight of the three weeks is always the performances by the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, an ensemble created each year in Buxton from some of the great G&S performers. The object is to return to the traditional dress and presentation of the original productions so that they will never become lost as time moves on.

This year it will stage three of the best known operettas, The Mikado, The Gondoliers and Iolanthe, and will feature such well-known names as Donald Maxwell, Jill Pert, Oliver White, Charlotte Page, Bruce Graham and Simon Butteriss.

One big novelty will be a performance of Cox and Box in Japanese from the Tokyo Theatre Company, and who could do without that irreverent Opera Della Luna company with a matinee that pokes fun in The Parson's Pirates followed in the evening by a more familiar presentation of HMS Pinafore.

The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival runs from Aug 2 to Aug 23 at Buxton Opera House, 0845 1272190. Or you can log on to www.gs-festival.co.uk. for more information.