PETER CANN previews the first of the region's major summer musical events the Wychwood Festival

Festival mania seems to be getting into full swing and next on the horizon is one of the most up-and-coming events that just happens to be almost on our doorstep the Wychwood Music Festival.

Held over the weekend of June 2-4, it boasts an impressive line up of artists including Mercury nominees, World Music winners, Folk Award nominees, Indie artists and classic festival bands.

They include hotly tipped newcomers The Feeling and The Guillemots to talented violinist Sophie Solomon and Mercury Music Prize nominees Seth Lakeman and Polar Bear to established names such as Billy Bragg, the Saw Doctors, Gilles Peterson and Eliza Carthy.

The event is based on the ancient Wychwood Forest Fayres, which ran until the 1850s and which at its peak could attract 40,000 people to sing, dance and make merry. The tradition was cut short when the landowner cleared the area, selling the oaks to the Navy, to make ships for colonisation.

Described as "an excellent hybrid of The Big Chill, WOMAD and the Cambridge Folk Festival", Wychwood mixes world and folk music traditions, experimental jazz and rock. It was nominated for Best New and Best Family Festival at the UK Festival Awards.

Amadou & Mariam won both the Africa and Album of the Year Awards in the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music and they are proving to be one of the best live performers around.

The Feeling had a hit with their first single, Sewn, and Wychwood will be their first ever festival performance.

The Saw Doctors, from Galway, have been one of the biggest draws at festivals since they emerged in the late eighties with a couple of hit singles and an album, If This is Rock and Roll I Want My Old Job Back, that mix punkish rock with overtones of Irish folk.

Another headliner with a similar mix is the ever-popular Billy Bragg. His music combines poetry and political comment and has collaborated with the likes of Johnny Marr, of The Smiths, folk singer Leon Rosselson, R.E.M., Kirsty MacColl and Wilco.

The multi-talented Eliza Carthy pops up in many guises. She recently performed with Waterson:Carthy at the Oxford Folk Festival, but otherwise tours with her own band, the Ratcatchers. At Wychwood, she is emarking on a new venture a collaboration with the world music band Salsa Celtica.

A mention should also be made of Oxford's very own Matt Sage, who will be returning to the Wychwood stage on the Saturday night with his Orchestra of Love after making an appearance there last year.

Ethical issues are at the core the festival's ethos and there are strong associations with Oxfam, Greenpeace, Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth all of whom will be benefit directly from the festival.

Weekend and day tickets for the event, which is held at Cheltenham racecourse, cost £85 and £25 respectively. All tickets include camping and under-11s are free. They are available from www.aloud.com, via ticket line 0870 998 8888, or the Cheltenham box office on 01242 227979.

For the full line-up and more details visit the festival website www.wychwoodfestival.com