A MAJOR new folk music festival is being launched in Weymouth.

The Evolve Festival will be staged at Lodmoor Park on July 25-26 with top acoustic roots band Show of Hands as headline act.

The event is being organised by Weymouth promoter Chris Walsh and talented local young musician Lucy Smith.

They intend to promote the festival as an opportunity for young musicians to share their enthusiasm for music and publicise alternative genres of music.

Other acts lined up include Miranda Sykes, Lou Rhodes, 3 Daft Monkeys, Kerfuffle, Tim Van Eyken and many more top folk acts.

Lucy Smith said: "This will be a new and exciting festival for South Dorset, based in Weymouth. We are aiming to create an event situated in beautiful surroundings with a relaxed atmosphere which is enjoyable for families and people of all ages as well as music enthusiasts.

"As well as artists playing on our two main stages we will be holding workshops and demonstrations helping to make music available to everyone regardless of age and experience."

Chris Walsh added: "We are working with Weymouth council as part of our aim to put on a family festival within Weymouth that is under cover and most of all great fun for all ages."

The festival is organising a young performers' competition among local schools and colleges and the winning act will be given time in a recording studio to make a demo CD plus the chance to perform on the main stage of the festival.

Mr Walsh said: "It's a great way for young musicians in the area to get out and explore and real world of music. There's a lot of undiscovered talent in this town, just waiting to come forward."

Entrants should be 11-18. Further information will be available at schools soon and on the Evolve website - evolvefestival.co.uk Within the festival there will be stalls and music workshops and entertainers. Ticket prices will be announced in the next few days and can be found on the festival website.

The quality of performers lined up for the festival will instantly place it among the UK's top folk music events.

Show of Hands are one of the strongest current forces in acoustic music. Phil Beer, can, as The Scotsman observed, play nearly every stringed instrument known to man' and Steve Knightley was described by Mike Harding at BBC Radio 2's 2007 Folk Awards as one of England's greatest singer-songwriters'.

Show of Hands enjoyed a milestone in 2007 notching up a third sell-out gig at the Royal Albert Hall, headlining at some 20 major UK festivals from Glastonbury to Cambridge and being invited to support Peter Gabriel at the Eden Project.

This year sees the Devon-based group undertaking a string of major festival appearances across the including the Evolve Festival where they will be headline act on the Saturday. For further details visit evolvefestival.co.uk