FESTIVAL lovers are in for a treat as one of the biggest outdoor events in the region is gearing up to put on a mini-festival to raise cash to save it.

The Solfest team, which organises the annual event at Tarns, near Aspatria on August Bank Holiday, will take over Carlisle’s Brickyard and Abstrakt to host a fundraiser after the event ran into financial difficulty after the 2018 festival.

A spokesman for Solfest said: “With tickets selling well we are really looking forward to this Saturday’s fundraiser at the Brickyard. It has been overwhelming the level of support that has been shown and it has really given us the motivation and confidence that we needed to believe that it is possible to save Solfest. All the acts playing over the two venues have a real love for the festival and we are hugely thankful for them volunteering their expertise for the event.

“At the recent AGM as part of our broader plan to save the festival we took on a number of new committee members on as well, which was to add new expertise and enthusiasm to getting Solfest back on track which we are confident is heading in the right direction.

“With the level of interest and support we have had for our Carlisle fundraiser we have just about completed plans for our next fundraiser, information on that will be released next week through our Facebook page.”

Dansi will headline on the night. Known for their energetic live shows they are sure to get the Brickyard bouncing. Joining Dansi in the Brickyard will be Colt 45 lead singer Neil Harper, performing a solo set; Jiggy Beast with a mixture of funk, psyche and rock; Prowles lead singer Jake Wedgewood; False Flags bringing their frantic rock and Jonny Fatso, known for his all vinyl sets of rockabillie, soul, funk and psyche. Hypho will headline at Abstrakt , with Gheto Funk producer The Funk Philosopher; Nathan Sutherland, Castrum and Dunners. Tickets are £10.00.