THE biggest music event in the Witney calendar is going live online as festival goers are being invited to join together on the airwaves, enjoy some great local music and have a boogie.

Witney Music Festival will be broadcast on YouTube, Windrush Radio, music streaming service MixCloud and video live streaming service Twitch this year.

Witney Music Festival Reconnecting! will be hosted by Simon Oliver from Windrush Radio on Saturday June 12 from 4pm til late, with guests joining him throughout the day.

There will be specially-performed music tracks and interviews to re-connect Witney people to the local music scene after lockdown - even though it won’t be face-to-face and shoulder-to-shoulder quite yet.

One of the organisers Derek West said: "The team are working with Witney Town Council to put something on later in the year once lockdown details have been confirmed.

"Obviously it’s still a very difficult decision to organise a live event with so much uncertainty."

The music festival was cancelled last year due to the lockdown and will not be happening this year on its usual dates - the second Friday and Saturday of June.

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In pre-Covid times the Leys recreation ground has been transformed into a field of fun, drinking and music for the festival.

In 2019 it was estimated it drew a record-breaking crowd of more than 15,000 people.

Popular acts included electronic group N-Trance and Prodigy tribute band Jilted Generation.

This year organisers say they aim to give music lovers and musicians as close to a festival experience as possible over the airwaves - while raising funds for future festivals.

The three organisations running it, Windrush Radio, charity Guideposts Trust and Witney Music Festival, are at the heart of the town and want the free event to reach as diverse a range of people as possible.

Windrush Radio works with many local organisations from Witney Pride to the Witney Beer Festival, and over the past year has drawn the town together with their daily Covid round-up.

Meanwhile Guideposts Trust works to ensure that people can be connected to their community and achieve their potential, regardless of their circumstances.

It recently launched Better Connected, a programme providing connection and activities for people with learning disabilities or autism.

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Witney Music Festival Reconnecting! is setting a target of raising £10,000 to put on an in-person event in 2022 and to create the festival's first special educational needs and disability (SEND) VIP area, offering extra space and support.

Guideposts' Better Connected co-ordinator Amie Pells said: “To experience a festival in-person is something many of the people we support wouldn’t be able to do without a dedicated VIP area."

Local pubs, venues and businesses are supporting the festival’s return with many playing the live stream, or offering festival takeaways.

Mr West said: “Our vision statement is ‘building community through music’ so this is a great opportunity to start getting rewired into this fabulous and inspiring medium. We hope you enjoy Reconnecting!”

If you’re a musician and would like to get involved, contact Derek West on derekwestiness@gmail.com  

If you’re a pub or local business and would like to sponsor the event contact Tania Kirby on fundraising@guideposts.org.uk /07805 755298