THE countdown is finally over as Camp Bestival blasts off today.

Gates open at the Lulworth Castle festival this morning for camping with the main entertainment kicking off tomorrow.

The team have been hard at work at the festival to make sure everything is ready to go.

The ninth edition of the family-friendly holiday will be hoping to be out of this world, with an outer space theme for this year's event, The giant astronauts are now in place as the finishing touches are put on to get the event ready to go.

At Camp Bestival, kids are king but there is plenty for the whole family to enjoy.

Aidan Byrne, from the Camp Bestival team, said: "The build is going well and everything is on course to be ready for opening.

"Everyone is very excited on site and can’t wait to open the gates on Thursday. The giant astronauts are here and looking fantastic and the grounds of Lulworth Castle look incredible."

The headliners for this year's event are Fatboy Slim, Tears for Fears and Jess Glynne.

Other musical acts taking to the stage include KT Tunstall, Katy B and Bananarama.

As always, the event is about far more than just the music with plenty for the whole family to enjoy.

As well as music there is live comedy from the likes of Jasper Carrot and the Chuckle Brothers, carnival shows, talks from the likes of Eddie the Eagle and much more.

One of the stand out attractions of this year's festival is the world's biggest bouncy castle, which the Bestival team played a part in creating.

The castle measures 23.8 metres long, 20.7 metres wide and 12.8 metres high and will be available for use from today until Sunday.

Attractions for the little ones include Cbeebies' The Clangers, Aliens Love Underpants and Mr Tumble.

The foodie in the family is also well catered for, with the Hotpoint Festival Kitchen boasting a range of live cooking demonstrations and interactive sessions.

These will include Masterchef winner James Nathan, River Cottage expert Stephen Lamb and DJ BBQ.

When not enjoying a performance, there is plenty of space for everyone to relax, with food markets, cafés and bars to get refreshed and the bikes and go-carts to ensure nobody is getting bored.

If you are quick there is still a chance to get involved with backstage VIP camping plots still available, with day tickets almost sold out as well.

For tickets go to campbestival.net/camping/backstage-vip-camping