Peterborough City Council has teamed up with Muddy Promotions to put on put on an alternative music festival similar to the city's Willow Festival, which last took place in 2003.

Billed as the City Roots Festival, it will take place on the Embankment both tomorrow and Sunday, and will involve music, art, poetry, comedy, street art and a host of other fun activities for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

City Roots will feature four main performance stages, giving music lovers of all ages the opportunity to listen to a diverse and exciting range of live performances over the festival weekend.

• Full weekend line-up for each stage at the festival


• watch videos of bands performing

On both days, bands will be performing live on stage from noon until 10.30pm.

The line-up for the Main Stage includes the headline acts The Foxes playing indie rock and Lazy Habits who will entertain festival goers with their unique blend of hip- hop, jazz and funk.

But perhaps the most intriguing addition to the bill is Cambridge's Hamfatter, who appeared on a recent episode of the BBC's Dragons' Den in an attempt to secure a £75,000 investment as an alternative to a standard record deal.

After offers from four of the five potential investors, they agreed a deal with Peter Jones.

Within one hour of their appearance on Dragons' Den, the single The Girl I Love had sold 500 copies via downloads, with a further 1,000 selling later that night.

Hamfatter play the main stage at 7pm on Sunday.

But many music fans will be keen to see the cream of local talent on the main stage, in Opaque, Acer, Blue Mary Jane, The Brays, Caffeine, A Girl Called Kate, Mesh 29, The Brackets, Gin Soldiers and Zhen Merit.

The Troubador Stage promises to be the most chilled-out of the four performance areas, playing host to a range of travelling musicians and acoustic artists.

The line-up for the Troubador Stage has been selected from the long-running Friday night acoustic sessions at the city's The Glass Onion venue, and will include high quality acts such as AOB, Free Peace and Tres Cojones.

The Earth Dome will cater for fans of electronic music, hosting various local DJs, playing everything from drum 'n' bass, break beats, deep house, funk and dub step.

For those interested in something completely different, the Poetry, Comedy and Cabaret Stage promises to offer a random collection of live acts, including belly dancing, juggling, comedy, improvisation, spoken word and free-style rapping.

The city council's arts service manager Neil Levine added: "The City Roots Festival will offer local bands and live acts from across the city a rare and valuable opportunity to showcase their talents to a wide audience alongside more established acts. The festival promises to be a really positive event, appealing to people of all ages, backgrounds and musical tastes."

Luke Payn, of Muddy Productions, said: "I'm really hyped about the whole weekend. We've got an amazing line-up. I think it's what the people of Peterborough want and deserve.

"The acts on the main stage will be really diverse. We've got everything from hip-hop to folk.

"The Foxes have been labelled as the next Arctic Monkeys by a lot of people, so it will be interesting to see what kind of a show they put on.

"I'm also really looking forward to the Lazy Habits. I love their type of music, a hip-hop style, but with a band involved.

"One to watch, in my opinion, is A Girl Called Kate.

"They are quite a new band, but I saw them a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. They had so much natural rhythm and energy, I think they will gain quite a few fans.

"The festival is a great opportunity for people to see some fantastic bands and have a great weekend out."

As well as being a great showcase for local musical talent, the City Roots Festival will feature other attractions such as fairground rides, craft stalls and food outlets to ensure the festival appeals to as many different people as possible. Please note, festival goers will not be permitted to bring their own alcohol to the event, as there will be a range of alcohol outlets on site serving beverages.

Tickets for the City Roots Festival will be available on the day, they can also be purchased in advance from the Key Theatre or by calling 01733 552439. Entry to the festival costs £6.50 per day, or £10 for the whole weekend.

Young people are very welcome at the festival, but anyone under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information, visit the City Roots website at www.cityroots.co.uk.