LIVE bands will rock Weymouth harbourside once again over the May Bank Holiday in a free two-day music event.

The Quayside Music Festival will return for a second year on May 30 and May 31, showcasing the best of local bands.

The event was organised for the first time last year by the Rendezvous bar after the Weymouth Sea Festival was cancelled due to lack of sponsorship.

Rendezvous was the main sponsor of the Sea Festival, which included the popular Trawler Race, as well as stalls and music on the harbourside.

Organisers hope the new music festival will lead to a full quayside carnival next year to showcase the harbourside.

Rendezvous general manager Keith Treggiden has promised this year’s music marathon will be even bigger and better.

He said: “We really need to keep Weymouth on the map.

“When the Sea Festival was taken away there were a lot of unhappy people out there so we want to keep that weekend alive.

“What we are trying to do is make it more family orientated, something for everyone.”

The festival is open from noon to 10pm on both days and will include a barbecue and an outside bar where experienced cocktail makers from Bacardi will he helping to serve drinks.

A meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 19, at the Ship Inn in Weymouth to launch plans for the new quayside carnival next year.