The event has grown into a highlight of the school calendar, with 130 primaries and secondaries taking part this year providing enjoyment and excitement for 20,000 pupils.

The formula is simple - children are given unique opportunities to work with professional artists and performers on a wide variety of cultural projects.

Then their finished works are shown off to the public in galleries, theatres and other prestigious venues around the city.

Events have ranged from music, dance and drama performances to workshops and exhibition of sculptures, artwork and photographs.

The whole event comes to a climax tomorrow with the traditional Lord Mayor's Parade and Family Day, which sets off from Devonshire Green at noon.

Much of the work produced this year has been on the theme of the Silk Road, the ancient route from China to Rome travelled by merchants and traders who carried expensive fabrics and goods to sell in the west.

The road has been the inspiration for pupils from more than 70 schools to create more than 1,000 art and craft works which are on display at the Workstation on Paternoster Row until July 18.

The Silk Road also inspired a concert in the city centre performed by youngsters from Firs Hill, Woodthorpe and Ecclesfield primaries.

Working with musician Kate Badcock, the pupils created music inspired by eastern culture under the banner of Chinese Whispers.

Environmental issues have also been at the heart of another key festival project, We Love Planet Earth, which this week has culminated in performances at the Sheffield Hallam student union Hubs.

Pupils from five schools performed plays, songs and dances with an ecological theme, with Yewlands and Chaucer secondaries and their feeder primaries Fox Hill, Monteney and Meynell all on board.

During rehearsals pupils showed their script to Coun Sylvia Dunkley, Sheffield Council's cabinet member for culture and leisure, and Mervyn Cooper from festival sponsors Taylor Woodrow.

Scientists and students from Sheffield Hallam University helped the children understand about key environmental issues including flooding and recycling.

Then the pupils turned their thoughts and ideas into plays and songs, with help from professional dancers, actors, musicians, visual artists, comedians, performance poets and stage writers.

Students at Ecclesfield School took an entirely different tack, putting on a production of The Wind In The Willows to mark the centenary of the publication of the much-loved children's classic.

Staged at the Library Theatre and adapted by Alan Bennett, the play not only gave budding thespians the chance to strut their stuff - it provided a wealth of opportunities for inventive make up as well.

As always, the Winter Garden was a popular venue, and the airy atmosphere was filled this week with the sound of music as children from Mosborough, St John Deepcar and Greenhill primary schools showed off their talents on violins and brass instruments.

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