MUSICAL acts from across the county are being urged to take the chance to perform in front of local audiences at the fifth Worcester Music Festival this August.

Organisers of the festival are appealing for more home grown talent despite already receiving an unprecedented number of applications in just six weeks.

More than 250 bands and artists from across the UK and Europe have already put their names into the hat for the free celebration of music, which now runs into an extra day in more venues from Friday to Monday, August 24-27.

There is plenty of incentives for up and coming artists from all corners of Worcestershire to sign up, especially with last year’s event attracting 11,000 people to a range of pubs, clubs, cafés and historic buildings such as the Guildhall.

Festival committee co-chairman Helen King said: “We have big plans for the festival this year and the sheer number of awesome musicians of all different styles we have attracted from as far as Sweden and Italy is a real coup.

“We do, however, want to hear from more bands from the city and county, with only around a quarter of the applicants so far classed as local, which is what we are essentially about.

“It doesn’t matter what type of music you play, you just have to be original and a great, live act.”

The festival was launched in 2008 to support and encourage live, local and original music and events will once again be played out across 30 venues in and around the city centre, with a roster of about 300 acts.

To date the non-profit making event, which is run by a team of more than 25 volunteers, has raised about £20,000 for charity through raffles, donations, collection buckets at venues and merchandising sales.

For more information and to apply for a playing slot go to worcestermusicfestival.co.uk and click on the ‘Meet the Musicians’ section.