A MUSICAL spectacular featuring 3,000 drums will be the centrepiece of one of the country's largest youth festivals to be staged in the region this summer.

Organisers are scouring the county for all types of percussion instruments for the event, which will be part of the Youth Arts Festival 2003, on July 5.

Festival team member Alex Cromarty, 20, of Northallerton, said: "We need anything you can hit for what will be the largest drum workshop certainly this county has ever seen."

"We are hoping to borrow as many drums as we can but will also use anything we can get our hands on, including dustbins."

The team has already recruited session drummer Mike Dolbear, who runs a drummer's website and has played with pop superstar Robbie Williams.

He said: "Drums are great. They were one of the first musical instruments and offer a universal language."

The festival will be staged for the second year running at Tadcaster Grammar School, from 10.30am to 11pm.

Last year more than 1,300 people took part in the event.

The project is being co-ordinated by the Continuing Education Unit of North Yorkshire County Council, through its Connecting Youth Culture project.

Festival co-ordinator Charlie Toothill said this year's extravaganza was expected to be bigger and better than ever.