PERFORMERS from near and far will take to the stage of a popular annual music festival in County Durham.

Bishop Auckland Music and Arts Festival will be held on the weekend of June 29-30 and will feature live performances from the town's own Circuit 68, County Durham acoustic roots band Midway Arcadia and London indie band Playmaker.

For Proms fans, Andy Jackson will be conducting The Cobweb Orchestra, an award winning community orchestra which takes classical music to unusual places including recent performances in Newcastle’s Grainger Market and Central Bus Station.

It is the festival's sixth year and is being staged with new format due to the torrential rain and flash floods which almost forced the cancellation of last year’s event.

Continued poor weather in recent months resulted in the festival being moved indoors to Bishop Auckland College’s Woodhouse Lane campus.

Kevin Burns, head of marketing at Bishop Auckland College, said: “As we have been prevented from holding the festival outdoors this year we decided rather than cancel, it would be better to take the opportunity to showcase some emerging unsigned bands from the North-East and London.

“We hope to revert to the outdoor festival format which has proved so popular next year.”

Tickets are available from Bishop Auckland College and Bishop Auckland Town Hall Box Office on 03000-269524.