The annual Phoenix Festival gets underway next month and expectations are high that the two-day celebration of music and arts will be the best yet.

The free-to-enter event is held in the Abbey Grounds in Cirencester on 25th-26th August and is a community led festival organised through the registered charity and company Cirencester Community Development Trust and supported by Cirencester Town Council. Now in its sixth year, event volunteer Lucy Cordrey is optimistic this year’s event will be a real success. She said: “We’re really excited for the 2018 Phoenix Festival. The great thing about the festival – apart from it being completely free of charge to enter – is the opportunities open to local musicians to get on stage and perform.

“It’s so important for young people to have things like this to enjoy and really get into. We’re an inclusive festival, there’s loads to get up to and there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”

“We’re in our sixth year now, it’s great to look back on previous festivals and see how far we’ve come. This year we’ve got two very special bands playing that we’re so excited to welcome to Cirencester. On the Saturday we’ve booked ‘Arrival’ who are one of the best ABBA tribute bands going, they’ve won numerous awards for their music and are guaranteed to put on a fantastic show. Then on Sunday we’ve booked ‘Flash’, a Queen tribute band who have played all over the world. They come with a huge reputation and we can’t wait to see them take to the stage.

“Abba and Queen are two of the biggest bands in music history, everyone knows loads of their songs, so it promises to be a fantastic weekend. As well as those two great bands we’ll also be hosting a number of well-known local bands who are sure to create a fantastic atmosphere. We also run a stage for musicians who haven’t had the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd before, it’s great exposure for them and helps build their confidence.”

Performing arts groups such as the Cirencester Creative Dance Academy and the Cirencester Theatre Company will also be in attendance on what promises to be an action-packed two days.

As well as the musical entertainment there’s also an opportunity for visitors to the festival to enjoy various arts and crafts exhibits, as well as partake in some retail therapy. Lucy Continued: “We’re lucky to be supported by so many fantastic people who give up their time to exhibit at the festival. There will be loads to get involved in, from various arts and crafts shows, to loads of fantastic food and drink stalls. The three music stages are obviously bound to attract plenty of interest but there’s plenty of other entertainment to keep everyone happy.”