SPORADIC showers over the weekend failed to dampen spirits for Coleford Music Festival.

Thousands of music lovers of all ages descended on the town centre along with the rain to make this, the third in the revived series, a memorable event.

Although lacking a major headline act, the eclectic mix of rock, jazz, reggie, ska, sub, rap, folk, blues and rockabilly not to mention choral groups, pipes and drums and a steel band provided something for all tastes.

Amanda Smith, festival organiser, said: “It’s been a brilliant festival, despite the rain.

“The rain didn’t dampen people’s spirits they still came out to support the festival.

“The evolving festival is still expanding and it has settled on a whole weekend of music.

“Coleford Music Festival is a showcase of local talent who performed magnificently on the three stages, providing something for everybody.

“We’d also like to reinstate the pageant that has been a previous feature of the festival, but this was funded from different sources.

Headline act on Saturday was Legend dedicated to the life and music of Bob Marley while Maroon Town closed the festival with their explosion of ska, rap and brassy dub.

Other performances included the steel pans of Lakers School’s Pandemonium, Berry Hill Brass Band, The Rag Time Jug Orchestra, The Don Fox Scandal, Shootin’ the Crow, Folklaw, The Rumble and The Hickory Stick Boys, Coleford Community Choir, the Forest Youth Theatre, Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue and African drumming from Djabot.