Music, art and literary events are lined up for a giant festival.

The Cerne Giant Festival in and around Cerne Abbas was born out of the community's vibrant May Day tradition, when the Morris dancers and villagers gather at dawn on the famous landmark.

This is the third year of the festival, which has now been extended to just over three weeks.

With a theme of ‘Celebrating Humanity in the Landscape’, there will be a variety of events including workshops, talks, and walks – so that there is something for everyone to explore their own connection with landscape of Dorset and what it means to them.

Any profits from the festival will go towards maintaining the fabric and work of the churches in the participating villages.

This year the festival runs from Saturday, April 13 to Monday, May 6.

It starts with the making of the Beltane brew to salute the start of summer.

A festival spokesman said: "The Beltane Beer is a vibrantly energising brew of traditional spring tonic herbs. In the morning we will forage for the herbs, gathering our cleansing and invigorating ingredients from around the lakes, riverbanks and woodlands at Nether Cerne. Join us on this herb walk and learn about the medicinal, energetic, ecological, culinary and celebratory properties of our glorious native weeds. The herbs we harvest will be brewed on the open fire in the afternoon workshop."

Other events include a mindfulness workshop, a talk on Paganism, tour of Minterne Gardens led by Lord Digby and the head gardener, talk by a beekeeper, photography workshops, supper clubs, needle-felt workshop, Easter Fire and Vigil and Hilfield Friary, farming walk and talk, illustrated talks, an archaeological roadshow, food workshop, quiz, a talk by former veteran BBC reporter Kate Adie, sunrise celebration at 5am on May 1 on Giant Hill with Wessex Morris, dowsing talk, a ceilidh with the band Tatterdemalion and to finish, a Dorset poetry and song event with the William Barnes Society and composer/musician John Blackmore.

For more information call Jane Still on 07823 778758 or email still.family@virgin.net