A POPULAR music festival in Witney will use its headline acts to draw people from far and wide into the town.

The organisers of Witney Music Festival have been modelling the event’s 11th year on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, working closely with West Oxfordshire District Council’s tourism board to bring it to the next level.

This year’s headline act is The Undertones, and revellers who pay to enter the festival’s brand new VIP area will have the opportunity to meet them and other performers this summer.

Festival chairman Eric Marshall talked about the benefits of working with the tourist board to help boost Witney’s economy and draw people from around the UK.

He said: “The tourist board are exceptionally good at keeping people in Witney.

“They’ve got a tremendous amount to offer that people can engage with. There’s loads to do in Witney, from pubs and venues, the brewery to visit, and more.

“What they’re not as strong at is going beyond the town and getting people to come in, and that’s something we are getting better at by investing in our headline acts.

“We want to say: come to Witney for the festival, but why not build a holiday around it in the town and surrounding Oxfordshire.”

The new VIP area at this year’s event will help keep the rest of the festival free. Run on the site at The Leys by the team from The Blue Boar pub, it will give people the opportunity to guarantee entry and meet with artists and performers.

There will also be an after-party celebrating the close of the festival in the new area.

Mr Marshall continued: "The VIP area has been introduced to try and keep it free for everyone else as costs have increased significantly this year and we need to cover that somehow.

“With the popularity of the festival and people travelling from greater distances to attend, there is a demand for a way of guaranteeing entry, so this is proving very popular. It will be providing a very different experience of the festival including an after-show party with the artists."

Chris Jackson, tourism manager at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “It’s great to see Witney Music Festival going from strength to strength as it’s such a popular event attracting a number of visitors.

“The organisers have worked closely with the council to ensure it is licensed properly and we wish them all the best as the town celebrates another exciting festival of free music events.”

Witney Music Festival will run from May 26 until June 11.

The Undertones will take to the stage on The Leys in Witney on June 10.

To keep up to date with the latest information and to buy VIP tickets go to witneymusicfestival.co.uk