Preview: Pestival Festival @ South Bank Centre

Starting today and buzzing on until Sunday, Pestival is taking over the South Bank Centre with a four day jamboree celebrating insects in art and the art of insects. If you're the type to shriek, scream and run away very fast at the sight of a six-legged creature, this event may not sound right for you... but it could be the very place to overcome your squeamishness and discover the world of minute beasties is not too horrid. You could discover that the crawlies are not so creepy after all, and the programme of events is set up to show you what you didn't know about insect life...

There's a symposium to kick off events, asking 'How insect are we?'; judge for yourself with a walk through art installation The Termite Pavilion. See also a piece of land from the Olympic site, rescued by artist Bob and Roberta Smith, an insect circus, a steampunk concert, debates, talks, meet maggots with a celebrity maggot man, Robin Ince, book-eating beetles, forensic entomology and many, many other insectoid delights.

Go to the Pestival website for the full programme, most events are free, some are ticketed and require advance booking.