IT’S time to dig out the tent from the garden shed and pack up your wellies, sleeping bag, loo rolls and that all-important poncho and experience all manner of audio treats at this year’s Upbeat Festival.

There are only days to go before the first Upbeat Festival opens its gates to the public this bank holiday weekend at Upton Country Park.

Headliners for the newest local festival on the block include chart toppers Toploader, famous for 2000’s Dancing In The Moonlight, alongside current rockabilly sensation Imelda May.

With a Saturday packed with the best tributes currently touring the country, culminating in what promises to be a scintillating headlining set from Phil Collins tribute No Jacket Required, the whole weekend looks set to have something for everyone.

Other acts on Saturday’s bill include Fleetwood Bac, the highly rated T-Rextasy and The Kastoff Kinks, whose line-up consists entirely of ex-Kinks members.

Aside from Imelda May and Toploader, Sunday will see acoustic prodigy Ben Montague, soulful blues from Deborah Bonham, Jon Allen and Sandi Thom’s new blues-tinged direction.

The demand for tickets has been increasingly strong and the organisers are expecting a turnout of between 3,000 and 5,000, making Upbeat At Upton one of the biggest music events of its kind on the south coast.

Due to licensing issues, Monday is no longer to be a free festival day as was previously reported.

However it is included in the weekend price, so those with full three-day passes need not worry.

Anyone wishing to only attend the Monday, the price will be £5 on the gate with under-16s free (ID will be required).

But Upbeat is not just about the music, as there are plenty of culinary treats to be enjoyed.

London’s finest festival catering group, Urban Guerrilla, will be serving a wide range of delicious treats from around the world, all of which are organic, fair trade, and home-made with locally sourced or origin-traceable ingredients.

These include Jamaican jerk chicken and locally reared hog roast.

There is also plenty to keep the children entertained with Green Buttercup running their superb kids’ area featuring lots of workshops for all ages.

The mayor of Poole will officially open the Upbeat Festival early on Saturday afternoon.

For more information visit upbeatfestival.com.