QUIET farm fields outside of Wickham have been transformed into a folk music paradise as the Wickham Festival is in full swing.
The festival has returned to its usual home of Wickham, albeit on a slightly different field.
The site has been redesigned, with day parking now on the field formerly used for the main arena and the two main stages now on a field opposite McCarthy's farm shop, formerly used for camping.
It is hoped that the new layout will better stand up to weather conditions, as the site is flatter and on grass, especially after last year's festival turned into a muddy swamp after it was hit by rain.
Thankfully the site also narrowly missed out on nearby rain and flash floods in Winchester on Thursday, and has so far only seem a few drops of rain on Saturday morning.
With the forecast for the rest of the weekend also looking good, many revellers were enjoying the new site, including Graham Fenton, from Wokingham, who is camping for the weekend with friends and family, and their mascot - a skeleton called Billy.
Graham, 64, said: "It has been brilliant so far. We come every year and it was very muddy last year. It's so much better in the sun. We are having a fantastic time."
Man festival goers were in fabulous outfits, including married couple Jasmine and Dave Malzard, who had come from Portsmouth, and were wearing matching rainbow outfits.
Jasmine said: "We come every year as we like to chill out and express ourselves."
Dave, who runs Pompey Hardware in Fawcett Road, said: "Every year we come here we buy something new. I come here for fun and to listen to a bit of music."
The festival has a range of stalls, selling a variety of interesting clothes and items, as well as a range of food and drink vendors.
One of these stalls was Random Loveliness, run by James McKnespiey, who was working with Toby Hudson, and Sarah Handley.
They had come from Norwich and were enjoying the circuit, having been at Womad and Latitude Festivals last week, and planning to attend Boomtown next weekend.
As ever the festival was popular with families, due to its small and friendly nature, many attending with a few generations.
Granddad 'Pops' Simon Lewis, from Guildford, was there with his wife Karen, and their daughter Sarah Lewis, and grandchildren Isla, four, and Cassian, 18 months.
Sarah, who was visiting with her children from the Cayman Islands, said: "It's a nice way to come home and to visit and get involved with daily life. It feels like a holiday for all of us."
The festival is staffed by hundreds of volunteers, who give their time to make sure the festival runs smoothly by carrying out a whole range of jobs.
Nina Blake, from Christchurch, Mike Easton, from Swanmore and Chris Moore, from Bournemouth, were manning the T-shirt stall.
Nina said the stall had proved popular and that people were liking the new arena.
Big name act Suzi Quatro - best known for her 70s rock hits Can the Can and Devil Gate Drive - rocked the main stage on Friday, while Seth Lakeman, folk music star, topped the bill of the second stage.
The Levellers - folk rock and anarcho-punk band best known for 90s hit What A Beautiful Day - will perform tonight (Saturday) and legendary crooner Tony Christie will round the festival off on Sunday.
Other highlights include Curtis Stigers, Ferocious Dog, Tankus the Henge and new band Dream in Colours, which is made up of members of well-known Wickham festival performers Steve Knightley (Show of Hands), Johnny Kalsi (The Dhol Foundation, The Afro Celt Sound System, Eliza Marshall (Ranagri), and Bennett Cerven (The Trouble Notes).
For more go to wickhamfestival.co.uk/
Day tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday, and cost £85 adults, £42.50 under 16s and £5 under 10s.
Residents of Wickham and Knowle who are on the electoral register can claim free entry on Sunday by taking along a proof of address and ID to the box office.
The festival is running until Sunday, August 4.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here