TOMORROW night sees the start of an annual explosion of music just outside the county town.

Lakeside Magic will bring four nights of top entertainment to the glorious grounds of Kingston Maurward near Dorchester.

Over the weekend, giants from the spheres of jazz, classical music and tribute bands are visiting the venue to perform a series of tremendous concerts, all rounded off by breathtaking firework displays.

Tickets are still available to see Acker Bilk and Humphrey Lyttleton tonight, The Brandenburg Sinfonia with Aled Jones and Marilyn Hill Smith tomorrow and Off The Wall, a Pink Floyd tribute, on Sunday night.

But anyone hoping to pick up a last-minute ticket to see One Night of Queen with Gary Mullen on Saturday will be sorely disappointed.

"The Queen night sold out ages ago and we have a waiting list of 150 people desperate for tickets," said organiser Sue Cull.

"We are telling people not to bother coming in the hope of picking one up at the gate because they simply won't. Last time the Queen show came we had people in tears, begging for tickets, but it is no good, we simply cannot fit any more people in."

And even though the weather forecast isn't all that promising, Sue is determined that the show will go on.

"We always give everyone a black bin liner to take their rubbish home in, and one year it poured with rain and everyone used their bin liners to keep dry!" she says.

"They were out there, in the pouring rain, like an audience of dancing black crows!"

The running order for the Lakeside Magic weekend is: Thursday, July 12: Acker Bilk and Humphrey Lyttleton and their bands; Friday, July 13; The Brandenburg Sinfonia with Aled Jones and soprano Marilyn Hill Smith; Saturday, July 14: Queen with Gary Mullen (sold out); Sunday, July 15: Off the Wall - the spirit of Pink Floyd.

The concerts start at 7.30pm and gates open for picnics at 5pm. There is free on-site parking and camping is also available for £10 per pitch. Call 01305 215123 to reserve your site. For full details, ticket prices and bookings, call Court Productions on 01305 751631 or visit the website at http://www.lakesidemagic.biz