AN East Lancashire music festival will return in 2017 - in a new venue and with a new format.

Moofest will present Livestock, featuring some of the best up-and-coming bands across the area from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1.

The event will be held at Sunbird Records in Darwen and admission is free although all festivalgoers are being asked to make a donation. The money raised will be split between all the artists performing.

Jamie Carter, Moofest organiser along with wife Patricia and Mark Purser, said: “Initially we thought we wouldn’t be running anything this year.

“We were looking to find a new venue which was proving difficult.

“We’d pretty much decided not to do anything this year when we went to Darwen Live in May and saw how many people were enjoying all the live music and that persuaded us that we should do something.”

Moofest began life as Tockholesbury in 2014 and subsequently moved to Wellybobs in Darwen. At last year’s event, Sunbird Records took over one of the two stages and used it to promote artists they had been working with.

“The guys at Sunbird Records said that if we wanted to organise something this year we should do it at their place which was ideal as it’s a mini version compared to what we’ve done in the past,” said Jamie. “We won’t be charging admission but will have buckets around the venue for donations. Every penny donated will be split between all the artists so hopefully it will be a little bit of a payday for them.

“Sometimes those of us who go along to gigs forget about the costs bands incur in hiring rehearsal space and travelling to gigs so it’s our way of saying thanks and giving a bit back.”

Entertainment will go on until 3am on both the Friday and Saturday and midnight on the Sunday night.

The line-up is:

Friday, September 29 from 7pm:

Jack Anwyl, The Snowbyrds, Anhedonia, Good Foxy, The Working Man and rounding off the evening, Demented Disco.

Saturday, September 30 from 2pm:

Donnie Willow, India Mill, Gas Match Boom!, Mardigras Bombers, Today They Are Older, Propori, Mouses, Eye The Bomb, Pigwitch, Dohnut, What it Is.

Sunday, October 1 from 1.30pm:

Pancake, Bo Weavil, Teri Birtwistle, Cleargreen, Blowjangles, Dylan Purser, Naut, resident DJ John Bennett.