HORWICH will be alive the sound of music as folk fans, classical afficionados and jazz lovers will all find something to enjoy at the town's annual music festival.

The three-day Horwich Music Festival will open on Friday afternoon with a free concert by The Dixie Beats bringing the best of traditional jazz with organisers promising it will be a "foot-tapping, fun afternoon".

Also appearing is The HMF House Band which will perform their original material — an eclectic programme of pop, alternative, folk and rockabilly — alongside reimagined cover versions of some classic songs; Horwich RMI Brass Band, Casper Mason, Same Bate, Tonge with the Haulgh Community Choir, Charlie Dore and Julian Littman and Hassan Erraji and Oriental Craze.

The festival takes place at the Horwich Community Centre in Beaumont Road.

Helen Walker, volunteer, said: "Horwich used to have a music festival that involved performance with an emphasis on competition but it ended some years ago. In its current form — which is concert based — it began in 2016, so this is its third year back.

"So far, it’s grown in the sense that it’s beginning to gain a reputation with artists — BBC DJ Mark Radcliffe played a tour date at the 2017 festival and this year the celebrated singer-songwriter Charlie Dore is playing a concert with Steeleye Span’s Julian Littman as part of their ‘Dark Matter’ Tour."

She added: "I think Horwich is suited to this kind of festival because it has a strong tradition of music with many great musicians living in or from the area —notably folk musician Bernard Wrigley and World renowned classical guitarist Neil Smith. With regard to the venue it’s right in the heart of the community, has great acoustics and is small enough for you to have a close up concert experience."

Helen said that the concert was designed to appeal to many tastes.

"The concerts are afternoon or early evening so are accessible to all ages. The festival is supported by Horwich Town Council and the first concert is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Horwich so this enables us to keep ticket prices low.

"We try to cover as many genres as possible and also bring something that is not widely available on the local scene. This year we have our first World Music booking— Hassan Erraji and Oriental Craze—a Moroccan Master Musician who with his band blends traditional folk songs with an upbeat modern sensibility."

See Thursday's The Bolton News for dates of festival performances.