A SOLD-OUT music festival celebrating its 15th year is now just days away from getting underway in a West Somerset seaside town.
Watchet Festival will take place between Friday, August 26 and Sunday, August 28 and feature an excellent line-up across its three stages.
‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’ singer Belinda Carlisle, who is also the lead singer of US band The Go Go’s, will headline the Main Stage on Friday night.
She will be preceded by Scouting For Girls, who also performed on the Acoustic Stage at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
The Fratellis and Level 42 will headline the Main Stage on Saturday and Sunday night respectively.
Festivalgoers will be able to enjoy dozens of acts across its two other stages, the Udder Stage and the Something Else Tea Tent.
That includes open mic sessions, drumming workshops, and a poetry fest.
When the line-up was released, a Watchet Festival spokesperson said: “Making her debut appearance on the festival’s hallowed main stage, Friday’s headliner is none other than 80s pop legend and recent Rock N Roll Hall of Fame inductee Belinda Carlisle.
“With a career spanning over 40 years, covering stints in both the Go-Go’s (one of the most successful female alt-bands of all time) and as a hugely successful solo artist, Belinda Carlisle will dazzle the Watchet Festival crowd with hit after hit, including the utterly iconic ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth.
“Returning to Watchet due to massive popular demand are Friday’s co-headliners Scouting For Girls. They’ve sold over 2,000,000 records and have been nominated for no less than four Brit Awards and an Ivor Novello.”
They added: “Watchet Festival is a not-for-profit family festival with amazing views of the West Somerset coastline and beyond.
“Three live stages host more than 100 live acts, bringing a wide range of high-calibre musical acts not normally found performing in West Somerset, at a very affordable price.”
Work to put the stages together began this week ahead of the festival arena's opening at 1pm on Friday.
All tickets sold out for the ninth festival in a row in July, with an official Twickets website set up to reduce the risk of scams.
The festival is organised by the Watchet Live Community Interest Company, which organises events in the local area to make it a diverse and lively place to live and visit.
Festival organisers Mark and Jackie Bale have confirmed that 2023 will be a fallow year with no event amid “the many uncertainties we are all experiencing right now”.
They said: “We would like to take this opportunity of sincerely thanking everyone who have continued to support the festival in the past and to the newcomers this year.
“Without you and your trust and belief in what we do, the festival wouldn’t and couldn’t have grown into the fabulous family-friendly event that it is today with its place firmly stamped in the ever-increasing festival calendar.
“Together, let’s make Watchet 2022 the very best festival yet.”
You can see the full Watchet Festival line-up by visiting www.watchetfestival.co.uk/line-up/.
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