FOLK fans will be descending on Chipping Norton this weekend for its first Folk Festival.

The Theatre, the town's famous centre for the arts, is hosting the Chipping Norton Folk Festival on Sunday and famous names in folk are expected to get it off to a great start.

Top of the bill will be Show of Hands, last year's winner of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Best Live Act. The group pulls together the multi-talented Phil Beer and singer-songwriter Steve Knightley.

Also in the line-up will be Tanna, a three-piece band consisting of Steeleye Span fiddler Peter Knight, another fiddler, Tom Leary, and Whippersnapper guitarist Kevin Dempsey. Another top band, Dr Faustus, is described as 'one of the brightest of all the young bands emerging in the vast folk scene at the moment'.

Local people, volunteers and theatre staff have put the event together with the aim of attracting more artists to The Theatre and create an enjoyable day for townspeople to enjoy.

It will be run on a non-profit basis, with all money made put back into local artist's fees and organisers hope it will be a success.

"The organisers are very hopeful of having a sell-out audience in the historic venue, due to the calibre of the acts on the very first line-up and also to encourage bands to come back to the town with their own tours in the future," said spokesman Nick Duxbury.

The event starts at 3pm and audiences can also enjoy talented local performers, including folk-rockers Daytella, featuring Jim Boyes of Coope, Boyes and Simpson fame, Thinking Jack, Wee Alex and The Boxhedge Clippers, who have created their own music genre - skuffle.

Tickets cost £24 for a wristband for the whole event - eight hours of music - and are available from the theatre box office on 01608 642350.