Known as the 'festival for musicians and music lovers', this year's Collessie Music Festival gets underway at Fife Animal Park tomorrow (Saturday).

Also known as 'Yurtfest', the event has an impressive line-up of musicians and artists from Fife and further afield.

Now in its fourth year, this year's festival will be hosted by MC 'Milton of Balgonie' and will feature bands including

• ceilidh band the 'Moonzie Allstars'
• their piper David Adams, who will also be performing solo;
• the six-piece band 'The Awkward Squad',
• plus Lancaster-based husband and wife duo 'The Nightwatchmen.'

Also singing their hearts out with acappella harmonies will be Dundee's all female vocal ensemble 'loadsaweemensingin', Glaswegians 'The Latecomers' and Andy Chung - a firm favourite on the Scottish folk/world music scene.

Fifers 'Handle with Care' and young north east Fife singer Amy Rayner are just a few more performers on the list.

Organiser John Hargreaves said Yurtfest evolved out of a small group of friends playing mainly traditional music together in front rooms around St Andrews and the East Neuk.

"As good things sometimes do, these evenings outgrew their humble beginnings and so after a long search we found a sympathetic and accommodating venue," he said.

OPPORTUNITY

"To keep the front room feel to this event alive we had a Yurt brought up to Fife from Lancashire.

"This has ensured that we have a space for musicians to play together and for dance and drumming workshops to take place.

"The indoor main stage gave those groups and musicians, who were willing, the opportunity to share their talents with a larger audience.
"So it was that the Yurtfest was born in 2005."

John explained the first festival was headlined by Pip Dylan of the 'Fence Collective', while in 2006 the headliner was 'The Anthill Mob' and last year 'The Awkward Squad' topped the bill.

He went on: "As our motivation behind organising Yurtfest was essentially selfish - to create an event that we would enjoy attending - we decided that all money raised from the event should go to charity.

"Last year's festival raised £800 for CHAS (Children's Hospice Association Scotland) and proceeds of this year's event are also going to CHAS.

"Our only reward for the time and effort we put into arranging this event is that when things are going well there's no better place to be for music and atmosphere in Fife than Yurtfest."

Anyone wanting more information should visit http://www.yurtfest.co.uk/

More on Yurtfest 2008 (aka The Collesse Music Festival)