ORGANISERS of the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival in Colne have appealed for buskers to come forward and become part of the August Bank Holiday event.

Six dedicated busking gazebos will be set up around Colne town centre on Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26 and festival organisers want talented buskers to provide entertainment for the thousands who invade the town over the weekend.

Busking slots are available free of charge from around 2pm to 8pm on both days. The successful applicants will be able to keep any donations they receive from the public during the performances.

To fit in with the nature of the event - one of the largest Rhythm and Blues festivals in Europe - organisers are looking for buskers in the blues/roots style.

Interested acts need to email Paddy Maguire (paddy@bluesfestival.co.uk) with a link to them playing live via YouTube or similar and a contact telephone number. Paddy will then get in touch with them.

This year’s event is the second year the festival has been organised by Colne Town Council and programmed by festival director Jason Elliott and it will be the 29th consecutive festival in the town.

Upwards of 20,000 music lovers are expected to make a beeline for East Lancashire for the event which runs from Friday, August 24 to Sunday, August 26.

There will be official main stages at the Muni, Hippodrome and Little Theatre plus 11 official Roadhouse venues.

Headliners this year include King King winners of both Band of the Year and Album of the Year at the recent UK Blues Awards, My Baby, Laurence Jones and Kyla Brox. Award-winning singer songwriter Lucy Zirins is this year’s guest curator of the acoustic showcase at Colne Little Theatre.

For latest details about the festival and ticket details visit www.bluesfestival.co.uk