TOPLOADER and Happy Mondays will be taking to the main stage this evening.

Toploader will perform from 8pm and Happy Mondays will follow at 10pm.

Crowds are lapping up the sunshine as thousands flocked to the Forever Sun Festival in Dorchester.

The festival kicked off on Friday night and with more than 30 acts performing on four stages, an estimated 3,000 music enthusiasts descended on the site near Came Down estate during the weekend.

Jack Daniels, stage manager and compere of the main stage, said the whole weekend had been “brilliant”.

He said: “We made the site smaller than last year but it's looked very busy the whole time. “The reaction from the crowds have been fantastic, they all seemed really pleased with the acts, both the local ones and the bigger names we have headlining.

“Local acts are really important to the festival, because they bring in local people. We can't be a festival that wants to go massive, our maximum capacity is 5,000 people so it's important we use the small bands to attract local people as well as the big bands.

“We haven't had a single complaint, we have ironed out the small ones we had last year. The infrastructure is the same as the big festivals, such as Glastonbury and Reading, just on a smaller scale. "It has just been brilliant.”

Saturday night was headlined by 70s punk-pop band Buzzcocks, who took to the stage after Glen Matlock, formerly of the Sex Pistols and Sunday night was headlined by 90s dance band Happy Mondays, who took to the stage at 9.30pm following a set from alternative rock band Toploader.

There wasn't just musical acts to keep the crowds entertained, with comedians also taking to the stage and a variety of food and drink stalls kept the festival goers, mostly from the local area, fed and watered.

Helen Rowe, 24, from Dorchester and Lucy Lambourne, 25, from Weymouth, were camping at the event. Miss Rowe said: “I didn't know what to expect as this is our first year here and it's like a really small version of Glastonbury, it's really lovely.”

Miss Lambourne added: “We got here about 11.30 on the Saturday and watched our friends, who perform in a band called Koast and they were really good.

“We've really enjoyed it, it's been great.”

Julie Blade, Amy Ferris, Jacob Grantham, Rosey Bickle, Tess Ardley, Josh Blake and Adam Ferris were part of a 24-group of friends who had bought weekend tickets for the event.

Miss Ferris said: “This is the first time we have been but it's been great and we were talking about making it an annual event that we all come here, the weather has made it really.”

Miss Ardley added: “It has been amazing so far, I like it because it is so small and compact and the atmosphere is really good.

“It has been well worth the money.”

Anna Youngs and Adam Goddard, from Broadmayne, kicked off the music performing in their four-piece band Koast (corr) in the Garden stage.

They were joined by their friends Chris Swain and Becky Curtis.

Mr Goddard said: "We enjoyed it, it was nice to perform in front of friends and family at such a great event.

"I really like seeing all the local, unheard of bands and they're all great."

Jerome Retter and Rachael (corr) and Elwyn Craig arrived at the festival on Friday night, and Mr Craig said: "It has been brilliant so far and I think it will certainly get busier as the day goes on.

"It's a great festival, and there are some really good local bands here which are great to watch."

Here is today’s line-up:

Main Stage

12.45pm- Shanty

2.15pm- 4th Street Traffic

3.30pm- Lion Star

5.15pm- Josephine & the Artizans

6.30pm- The Alleys

Garden State

12.30pm- Mugs

2pm- Fracture

3.45pm-Not Completely Blonde

3.30pm- Gabby Young & Other Animals

4.30pm- De Fuego

5.15pm-Violet Class

6pm- John Lennon McCullagh

6.45pm- Sinnergod

7.30pm- Gerry Cinammon

8.15pm- Protafield

9.30pm- Lazytalk

11pm- Dub Pistols

Curiosity Lounge

1pm- The Skull Kids

2.15pm- Silvestre Y La Naranja

3.15pm- Mucky Pups

4pm- John Otway & the Big Band

5.30pm- Sound of the Sirens

6.30pm- Professor Elemental plus special guests

8.15pm- Black Water County

9.30pm- Pink Diamond Revue 10.30pm- Smooky DJ