The quality ofevents has been taken to another level

The two-day Portsmouth Summer Show this weekend, featuring the likes of Peter Andre, Fun Lovin’ Criminals and Diversity, will kick off what should be a memorable year.

Coming up are a series of events for local people to enjoy, but which will also put the city in the spotlight nationally and internationally.

As Tory culture boss Linda Symes says in The News today: ‘It’s the launch of the summer in Portsmouth. It will be a nice showcase of what we do really well, and that’s putting on events.’

Let’s pause for a moment to blow our own trumpet here. We’ve been good at staging events for years.

Just look at how the Great South Run is known and admired at home and abroad.

But now there’s a feeling that we’ve taken it to another level. Last year’s America’s Cup World Series brought global exposure and we eagerly await the return of racing to the Solent in July.

Before then we have the Portsmouth Summer Show, then the Mutiny Festival at the same venue at the end of next month with a line-up that includes Cee Lo Green, Groove Armada, Example and Pete Tong.

Not long after the America’s Cup yachts have been packed away, music fans will be heading to Southsea Common for the Victorious Festival and acts of the quality of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Manic Street Preachers, Mark Ronson and Travis.

If you haven’t got your tickets yet, don’t delay or you may miss out on being part of a pretty special summer in the city.