IN JUST 10 weeks the gates will opening at Ramsbottom Cricket Club for the sixth annual Ramsbottom Festival.

It will run from Friday 16 - Sunday 18 September and will feature an eclectic array of live music, theatre performances and creative activities for all the family.

Each week in the Bury Times there will be a low down from Festival HQ on the latest updates in the run up to the festival.

The opening night is headlined by corduroy clad electronic duo Public Service Broadcasting, whose unique live AV transmissions see them weave samples from old public information films, archive footage and propaganda material around live drums, guitar, banjo and electronics.

Amongst others, they’ll be joined by visionary rock musician and one-time frontman of The Teardrop Explodes, Julian Cope, and Manchester four-piece Slow Reader's Club, whose set at last year's festival went down a storm.

Topping the bill on Saturday night is Gaz Coombes who, following the release of his Mercury nominated album Matador has been touring non stop.

Other Saturday highlights include two tone legends The Selecter; Sam Duckworth's Recreations, a groove-filled collection of big-dreaming pop songs; Manchester folk-rock five-piece The Travelling Band; BBC Introducing champions Cattle & Cane; catchy tunes and a high-energy set from Rusty Shackle plus the return of New York Tourists, along with many more.

The world's finest and only purveyors of cinematic hip hop, rock 'n' roll, blues-jazz and latino soul vibes, Fun Lovin' Criminals bring the weekend to a close on Sunday night.

Joining them on the final day of the festival will be acclaimed modern British soul seven-piece Smoove & Turrell; Elbow guitarist Mark Potter's band The Plumedores, traditional Irish folk group Lynched; multi-award winning Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys; foot-stomping, crowd-engaging folk-rock duo Sound of the Sirens and word of mouth phenomenon Ist Ist, plus many more.

For the full festival experience there's a festival campsite just a short walk away up the Irwell Sculpture Trail.

There are for everything from standard camping to small camper van pitches available plus a dedicated area for families – and transport to and from the festival site.

Adult tickets start from just £27 for a day or £70 for the full weekend, with discounts available for families and children.

For details on the full line-up or to book go online at www.ramsbottomfestival.com