Phramaha Laow Panyasiri, abbot of Buddhavihara Temple, Birmingham

The Tapestry of Life and Faith festival, a biennial event for the county, features dance, storytelling, language and video workshops for children.

On Monday, Wrexham mayor Aled Roberts launched the festival by announcing the winner of an anti-racism poster competition.

The week-long event comes just weeks after the city hit the headlines for disturbances involving local residents and asylum seekers on the Caia Park estate.

However, Tapestry is aiming to promote the benefits of a more diverse society.

The numbers of people from differing ethnic backgrounds in Wrexham has continued to grow, according to the council.

Harpist Justine Read

They say one factor is an increase in foreign students coming to study at the North East Wales Institute.

The first day of the event saw Buddhist monks travel from their temple in Birmingham to talk about their religion, the life of a monk and give demonstrations of meditation techniques.

Meanwhile poet and Jewish folklore expert Derek Reid told stories about the Ashkenazi culture to schoolchildren in Wrexham library.

There was also the start of a project which will see children rework a 12th century ritual using Christian symbolism along with Welsh linguistic and artistic traditions.

Churches from the area will show a video to demonstrate the way they have worked with asylum seekers in the area as part of the project.

Anti-racist poster competition winners Charlotte Evans and Alex Evans

Children will also be able to watch demonstrations of Hindu dance, based on part of an epic Indian love story.

Tuesday will see the launch of the Thousand Year Journey exhibition, which looks at the journey of gypsies through Europe, and includes shadow puppetry, dancing dolls and music.

The day, which has been designated Children's Day, will also have the theme "Treading Lightly on the Earth", and encourage people to be responsible for caring for the environment.

Dance stages are to be set up in the Eisteddfod field where a number of masterclasses will be held, as well as performances from carnival dancers and musicians.