Young people from around the globe will descend on Aberdeen this weekend as the city's annual International Youth Festival begins.

Running since 1973, the festival has grown from an orchestral performance to become a multi-arts event.

Organisers say they are committed to supporting emerging talent across a wide-range of art forms including dance, theatre, opera and contemporary, jazz.

Performers up to the age of 25 can be found in some of the city's most celebrated venues with an extended programme taking shows to towns and villages across the north east.

In addition to the shows themselves, the festival delivers a number of summer education courses including dance labs and traditional music classes.

This year's event runs until August 5 with more information available on www.aiyf.org.