Star names line up for pop event

Wakestock, the wakeboard and music festival on the Llyn peninsula, has announced more big name acts.

The three-day event, held each July, has confirmed the Happy Mondays and BBC Radio 1 DJ's Jo Whiley and Zane Lowe.

Singer, Duffy, who was brought up at nearby Nefyn, has already signed up for the festival, which is also one of Europe's largest wakeboarding events.

Last year severe weather caused the event to be partly cancelled on the Saturday night.

"We've been really busy since the tickets went on sale last week," said Rebecca Tappin, one of the organisers.

Wakestock line up includes:

• Groove Armada
• Mark Ronson
• Happy Mondays
• The Streets
• Duffy
• The Futureheads
• Sam Sparro
• Funeral For A Friend
• The Hoosiers

Wakestock will be held on 4, 5, and 6 July this year, and the event's reputation as a festival performers wanted to take part in was now established, Ms Tappin said.

Extra night

"We have between two and three thousand demos arrive each year from people who want to perform here, and there are over 70 acts taking part over the weekend."

The line-up includes acts to attract different audiences, from dance to indie and also local grown Welsh-language bands.

"We try to offer something for everybody and on the Sunday night, which is an extra night this year, we have Duffy," Ms Tappin said.

Despite the festival's growing reputation however the number of people attending remains the same, as the site's capacity is 10,000 each night.

The festival has also been widely supported by people who wakeboard.

The sport involves someone riding a short, broad water ski like a surfboard as the board is towed by a boat.

Ms Tappin said the festival "was developing in terms of its reputation and we have international riders coming to take part from all over Europe, Argentina and America."

Last year's problems with adverse weather had also been addressed, she said.

"There have been a number of developments on the site, a change to the entrance and changes to the car parks in case the weather is bad again.

"Last year's weather was nationwide however, not just here, and people did appreciate this especially when they went away and realised there was flooding elsewhere, in areas where there had never been flooding before."

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