The rugby club will be transformed into a musical mecca this weekend for the inaugural Macclesfield Festival.

The huge music event – which has so far sold 5,000 tickets – will include a range of stages and tents featuring different musical styles, with the Brand New Heavies, Dodgy and The Farm headlining the main stage.

It will also feature food and drink tents, a huge funfair, a nerf shooting range, pony trekking and an arts and crafts tent.

Andrew Kleek, 36, from Tytherington, came up with the idea of hosting the town’s very own music festival and set about booking a whole host of fantastic acts for the event.

He said: “We have now sold almost 5,000 tickets and expect that figure to increase dramatically, the venue is 20,000 capacity so it is large enough to handle whatever we get.

“The whole town is buzzing with excitement and I would like to thank the local community for the massive support and positive way they have embraced the event.

“You can still buy tickets up until the day on our website www.macclesfieldfestival.co.uk .”

The family friendly festival will also feature performances from Macclesfield’s own dance schools the Sylk Dance Academy and Energize Cheshire, plus a performance from the Cheshire Fire Choir, which was formed as a result of the BBC television show The Choir.

Four dance tents will feature motown and northern soul, house anthems and retro mixes, with Dave Haslam taking to the stage in the VIP Club House.

And a childrens stage will feature performances by Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew, a princess show and a magic show.

And Star Wars fans will be able to meet characters from the film thanks to the 99th Garrison, a ‘costume group’ which meets and poses with fans in return for a donation for charity.

There will also be an owl display held throughout the day and Macclesfield’s Strongest Man competition.

The novice event takes place at 11am, with the team events at 3pm and the finale at 6.30pm.

The event takes place on Saturday, July 22, from 10am until 8pm, with an after party from 8pm until late.

Tickets cost between £8 £15, with VIP tickets at £25. Family tickets are also available.

For tickets go to macclesfieldfestival.co.uk.