AFTER nearly a year of planning and prepping, the wait for this year’s York’s Little Festival of Live Music is nearly over.

The annual event will run from today to Sunday and then September 27 to 30 on Parliament Street, York, and will feature 28 acts, curated by festival founder Ellen Cole.

"Each year we strive to offer our audiences a great musical experience and this year won’t disappoint," she says. "We have a wide range of musicians and bands in the line-up, some of which will be known and some of which will be unknown.

"We showcase the work of a diverse range of musicians as we aim to inspire and encourage our audiences to actively go out and watch local, regional and national artists, regardless of whether they have a record deal or not.

"There's a lot of talent not just in York, but also in Yorkshire and beyond, and the aim of our festival is to offer a platform for that talent. We showcase a wide genre of music from country to surf rock and from funk to folk, so that there's something for everyone to enjoy. Our festival runs alongside the York Food and Drink Festival, which means there'll be plenty of delicious local food and drink for everyone to enjoy."

Among the acts will be Chris Helme; Heather Findlay; Edwina Hayes; Grinny Grandad; Toni Bunnell; Leather’o; Dan Webster; Joshua Burnell & Band; Supermoon; Laura Kindelan; Smith n Wallace; Fiona Lee; Paul Lewis and Simon Bolley Band.

Look out too for Slack Habits; Mulholland; The Bronze; Kitty VR; Bull; Andy Doonan; The Blueprints; Flora Greysteel; Kitsch; Atomic Raygun; Kymberley Kennedy; Gracie Falls; Boss Caine and Ramble Gamble.

"The line-up is phenomenal this year and we can't wait to see what our audiences think," says Ellen. "We pride ourselves on offering a family-friendly and fully inclusive event, and each year we ensure the venue is fully accessible so that everyone can get involved. We even have bunting this year, which I for one can't wait to hang up. I get pretty excited over little things."

The live music can be heard from 5pm to 9pm each day; entry to the festival is free and everyone is welcome. "Throughout the event, we'll be fundraising for York Mind, a charity that helps local people with mental ill health. Any donations, however big or small, will be greatly appreciated," says Ellen.