THREE days, 30 bands and two live stages.

No, it’s not one of the big commercial festivals at the other end of the country.

The Summer Days Festival is coming here, to East Lancashire next year.

For the first time in a generation Clitheroe, the castle grounds to be precise, is hosting a three-day music event which promises to bring around 30,000 people to the town.

There’s no doubt that music lovers across the county will be grappling for tickets and lending their support to the event.

It’s a big coup for the area to secure Simply Red, a band which has sold many millions of albums, on their 30th anniversary tour and hopefully the other headline acts won’t disappoint when they are announced in due course.

East Lancashire has had its fair share of big events in recent months, most notably the Tour of Britain which generated a real buzz around the area, and we certainly need and welcome more.

The music festival will provide a mid-year boost for town centre traders and will be yet another opportunity for the area to showcase itself and the wonderful castle.

The aim is to make this an annual fixture on the calendar and turn Clitheroe into a ‘festival town’.

This is certainly the perfect way to start.