Glastonbury may have been and gone but the Kent festival season is just getting into full swing.

One of the South East’s biggest free music festivals touches down this weekend.

Former chart-toppers Nizlopi, who went to No.1 with the JCB Song in 2005, top the line-up of musical talent that will take to the stages of this year’s Ashford Create.

A packed programme of acts, from folk to rock, will fill the town’s Victoria Park on Sunday, July 27.

Folk hip-hop duo Nizlopi will take to the Create Main Stage at 7.15pm for a 45-minute set. They will be joined by homegrown Ashford act Intermission Project at 6.15pm, and Canterbury-based up-and-comers CoCo & the Butterfields at 5.15pm.

The new Revelation St Mary’s stage will feature a compelling mix of spoken word ‘slams’ and music from artists including High Tide, Ted Clark’s Brother Bare, and Orfila.

The Right Track Music stage will once again feature a host of up-and-coming local talent, headlined by Old Town Souls, while the Create and Canterbury College DJ stage will have electronica and beats from the likes of Craig C and Adam White.

Among all of the free fun, there is just one ticketed event ahead of the festival on Saturday, July 26. That’s when Brit band Toploader – best known for Dancing In The Moonlight, a chart No.7 in 2000 – play a one-off show called Saturday Night Sound Check at St Mary’s Church. Tickets cost £18 for adults and £14 for under-16s.

Toploader will be supported by Ashford acts James Kirby and Pip Bowers and the Family Bones.

Last year Create broke all its previous records, with more than 13,000 people flocking to see local talent support headliners, Dodgy.

This Sunday the family-friendly festival promises a mix of entertainment for all ages and tastes, including theatrical and spoken word events, craft and trade stalls, food and drink.

The event will also have a Create for Create theme and is challenging performers, attendees and staff to create something unique in the run-up to the festival, from crafts to video blogs, and to share their work on Twitter @ashfordcreate

Details

Saturday Night Sound Check with Toploader is at Revelation St Mary’s Church, Ashford, on Saturday, July 26 at 8pm. Tickets cost £18 for adults and £14 for under-16s.

Visit www.musicglue.com/stmarysartcentre/events to book online.

For full details and times of the line-ups on all four stages - Main, Revelation, Right Track Music and DJ - visit www.createfestival.co.uk