The Rhythm Festival is to take place in the Twinwood area of Bedford on the weekend of August 3-5.

The festival, now in it’s second year has confirmed the first headlining artists that will appear at the event are Jamaica’s ska king Prince Buster, Alabama 3, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, The Levellers, Seth Lakeman and John Mayall & The Blues Breakers.

The Rhythm Festival had a hugely successful debut last year, earning two nominations in the UK Festivals Awards, and the improved facilities should make this year’s bash even better.

Festival Director, Jim Driver says: “Rhythm Festival is a small, friendly event aimed at people who enjoy festivals but who don’t appreciate rip-off burgers, Middle Ages sanitation and flavour-of-the-month programming.”

The festival will also include an increased children’s field, including mini olympics, workshops, entertainers and dodgems – a much-enlarged Healing/Alternative Culture field, a Comedy Stage (programmed by Ronnie Golden), a Folk Club and a solar-powered Cinema featuring an old-style kid’s morning, mini-seasons of classic comedies, gangster movies and a raft of more cutting edge movies.

Weekend tickets are £89, with kids under 11 going free.

More details about the Rhythm Festival are available here

The first acts confirmed are:

FRIDAY

The Beat, Dean Friedman, Levellers, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, The Yardbirds

SATURDAY

Buick 6, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Prince Buster (Jamaica), Seth Lakeman, King Naat Veliov’s Original Kokani Orchestra (Macedonia), Iain Matthews, Dave Pegg/PJ Wright, Waking The Witch, Stan Webb’s Chicken Shack

SUNDAY

Alabama 3, Band From County Hell, Dr Feelgood, John Mayall & The Blues Breakers, Richie Milton & The Lowdown, Neville Staples Band (Specials), The Turns, Tiny Tin Lady